As the 2024 Formula 1 season roars to its conclusion at the Yas Marina Circuit, only two teams, Red Bull and Stake, have introduced updates for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. With a grueling triple-header of races behind them, most teams have opted to focus on gathering data for 2025 rather than debuting new components.
Red Bull’s Precision Tweak: A New Front Wing
Red Bull, already dominant throughout the season, has brought a refined front wing to the final race. The upgrade features revised mainplane elements, flaps, and endplates designed to optimize aerodynamic performance.
“The loading distribution across the front wing is modified to promote better quality flow to the rest of the car,” the team explained, highlighting the update’s goal of enhancing airflow efficiency. While subtle, this change underscores Red Bull’s commitment to squeezing every ounce of performance as it eyes a strong finish to an already stellar season.
Stake’s Comprehensive Overhaul: Floor and Rear Corner
Stake has unveiled a more substantial upgrade package, focusing on two critical areas: the car’s floor and rear corner.
- The Floor: The new design adds volume to the rear floor body, aiming to reduce aerodynamic losses during critical ride-height changes. As the floor remains the most significant performance driver in F1’s current regulations, this development could yield meaningful gains in downforce and stability.“The updated floor geometry is aiming to improve the flow characteristics by reducing the losses in critical ride height conditions,” the team stated.
- The Rear Corner: Complementing the floor update is a modified rear brake duct deflector designed to enhance rear tire jet vortex control. This change improves the efficiency of the diffuser, a key element for generating rear downforce.Stake’s dual-faceted approach demonstrates a commitment to refining aerodynamic and mechanical performance heading into 2025.
The Development Cycle Winds Down
As the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marks the end of the 2024 season, the focus for most teams has shifted from immediate performance gains to long-term development. The limited number of upgrades reflects a strategic pivot, with teams prioritizing data collection for the next generation of cars over short-term tweaks.
Red Bull and Stake’s updates, however, indicate their intent to make the most of every opportunity to innovate, even at the tail end of the season. For Stake, the upgrades could provide valuable insights for closing the gap to the frontrunners, while Red Bull’s incremental refinements reflect their unrelenting pursuit of excellence.
What’s Next for F1 in 2025?
As the 2024 season draws to a close, the lessons learned this weekend at Yas Marina will likely shape the direction of development for next year. With new regulations on the horizon and teams eager to gain a competitive edge, the innovations seen in Abu Dhabi could hint at the trends to watch in 2025.
For now, the spotlight is on Red Bull and Stake, the only teams daring to bring fresh updates to the final showdown of the year.