25/07/2025 10:28
The fresh upgrades Red Bull and Ferrari both hope will revitalise
their F1 seasons have been revealed ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix
at Spa. For Red Bull, it is in the last chance saloon to help Max
Verstappen defend his drivers' title, as the Dutchman finds himself
69 points behind leader Oscar Piastri. Like the other nine teams,
Red Bull will soon need to switch full focus onto the 2026 machine,
given the scale of the change in the technical regulations, meaning
upgrades are likely to cease the longer the season goes on. The
package Red Bull hopes will turn its fortunes around and allow
Verstappen to challenge the McLarens includes a brand-new front
wing design where elements have been modified to increase
downforce. More performance-related parts have been brought to the
rear corners of the RB21, as well as a front suspension tweak to
aid airflow over the car. The sidepod inlets and engine cover have
also been tweaked slightly to aid power unit cooling for this
event. As for Ferrari, the details around its much-vaunted rear
suspension have been made public, following a private test at
Mugello last week using the system. In the submission to the FIA,
Ferrari has described its new parts as an 'updated rear suspension
geometry' - achieved through a "re-optimisation of the wishbone
fairings." A circuit-specific low downforce rear-wing has also been
brought. Of the other leading teams, Mercedes' W16 has a fresh
front-wing and rear corner to aid performance for George Russell
and Kimi Antonelli, whilst McLaren has an updated version of its
low downforce rear-wing to help reduce drag. The article continues
below. Upgrades for the 2025 F1 Belgian Grand Prix Aston Martin and
Williams have also unveiled considerable upgrade packages. Aston,
currently languishing in a disappointing eighth in the
constructors' championship, now has a new front wing, nose, rear
wing and beam wing on its AMR25s as it seeks a performance boost
over the second half of the season. Williams, which started the
season strongly but has scored just eight points in the last five
races due to a lack of updates on the car, has reprofiled the floor
fences and floor edge, whilst the sidepod inlet has been modified.
In addition, the coke/engine cover has also been tweaked. On the
Alpine, there is a new rear wing and beam wing; Racing Bulls has
reprofiled and updated the rear wing and rear corner, which is more
circuit specific, whilst the diffuser geometry has been updated.
Only the cars of Haas and Sauber are unchanged for this weekend.
