AUSTIN, Texas
At the U.S. Grand Prix, the ten F1 teams decided to limit upgrades significantly.
With the current 2025 season nearing its end and new regulations on the horizon for next year, it’s not surprising that many teams are already concentrating their development efforts on future races. Plus, considering McLaren clinched the constructors’ championship at the Singapore Grand Prix, you can clearly see that the landscape has shifted.
Haas and Mercedes were the only two teams to confirm upgrades ahead of the American Grand Prix this past Friday. The competition is intense, with Mercedes vying for second place against Ferrari in the constructors’ standings, while Haas aims to surpass Sauber for seventh.
Mercedes Upgrades at American GP
Currently, Mercedes leads Ferrari by 27 points in the constructors’ championship. They’ve revealed some minor “performance” tweaks to the rear of the W16, specifically mentioning changes to the contours and the winglet size.
In their car presentation, they stated, “We’ve decreased the camber on the top lip to enhance the airflow around the top wishbone and adjusted the winglet span for better tire clearance.”
Technical analyst Albert Fabrega shared a snapshot of the W16 from the pit lane on Friday.
Mercedes’ submission highlighted several alterations made to the car.
Haas Upgrades Ahead of US GP
Contrary to the minor adjustments made by Mercedes, Haas introduced more comprehensive updates for the American Grand Prix.
These include modifications to the floor, rear corners of the VF-25 model, and sidepod inlets, all labeled as “performance” enhancements.
Haas claimed that the updates to the VF-25’s floor build on earlier improvements, particularly by “enhancing the floor fence and outboard edges to amplify aerodynamic load, focusing on performance in high-speed corners.”
Moreover, the team indicated that these floor updates necessitated “optimizations of the rear corner winglets.”
They also adapted the mirror stays to enhance aerodynamic flow around the VF-25.
This illustration comes from the team’s car presentation submission.
On Friday’s media call, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu discussed the aim behind the upgrades, highlighting both “drivability” and “flexibility.”
“It’s a combination of both,” Komatsu noted. “Overall performance, drivability, and stability are all enhanced. A more predictable setup gives drivers increased confidence, which means better drivability.”
He added that the entire team feels “confident,” as Haas has been able to develop the car effectively this season, for the second consecutive year.
“Yes, assuming tomorrow’s race goes smoothly, I genuinely feel pleased with our design advancements,” Komatsu mentioned. “For two years running, we’ve been told we couldn’t make progress, and last year we proved we could, and this year we’ve shown that the same team can successfully evolve the car again.”
“I think that brings a lot of assurance to everyone.”
Later today, the upgrades will be tested during a practice session before the F1 sprint qualifying at the United States Grand Prix.
