Alpine A522, Monaco, 2022

Seven F1 teams bring updates for Monaco Grand Prix weekend

2022 Monaco Grand Prix

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Just one week after the last race in Spain, seven Formula 1 teams have brought updates for their cars for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

The Monte-Carlo circuit is the slowest on the calendar and features the tightest corner on the schedule, the sharp left-hander which leads drivers past the Fairmont Hotel, formerly known as Loews.

While several teams have added new parts for this event, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo have not brought any upgrades or specification changes compared to past rounds. Here’s what their rivals have introduced in Monaco.

Mercedes

Mercedes front wing endplate
Mercedes front wing endplate

Front wing endplate

Reason for change: Performance – local load

Difference: “Lower outboard corner of front wing end plate radius altered.”

Description: “This is a minor change to the geometry of the front wing endplate that generates a small improvement in local load.”

Front corner

Reason for change: Circuit specific – cooling range

Difference: “Larger cake tin duct exit.”

Description: “The larger exit for this circuit in particular generates increased cooling flow for the brake discs and callipers, which is particularly important in Monaco given the low average speeds.”

Red Bull

Front Suspension

Reason for change: Performance – mechanical set-up

Difference: “Revised steering geometry.”

Description: “Monaco circuit presents the tightest corners of the year and steering geometry is allowed to reach the required lock for this event.”

Front Corner

Reason for change: Reliability

Difference: “revised front wheel bodywork geometry”

Description: “Changes offer more front brake system cooling flow to counter the low average airspeed of the Monaco event and the likelihood of running in traffic.”

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McLaren

Rear Corner

Reason for change: Circuit-specific – cooling range

Difference: “Increased Brake Cooling Exit.”

Description: “A larger rear corner cooling exit, that has been deployed to cover the high brake energies expected at this circuit.”

Front Suspension

Reason for change: Performance – mechanical set-up

Difference: “Updated front steering geometry.”

Description: “A modified steering geometry has been deployed to cope with specific high steering demand for this circuit, specifically for Loews corner.”

Bodywork

Reason for change: Circuit specific – cooling range

Difference: “Two sets of different blanking louvre panels.”

Description: “Two levels of blanking panels are considered for this event with the aim to trade cooling with aero performance for race-ability and minimum lap time.”

Sidepod Inlet

Reason for change: Reliability

Difference: “Reduced chord on mirror stay”

Description: “An optional trimmed chord mirror stay has been released to cope with the visibility challenges in a street circuit like Monaco.”

Alpine

Front Suspension

Reason for change: Performance – mechanical set-up

Difference: “Revised steering geometry specific to Monaco”

Description: “Shorter steering arms required to give extra steering lock to get around the tight left-hander at Lowes Hairpin”

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AlphaTauri

Front Suspension

Reason for change: Performance – mechanical set-up

Difference: “Small track specific changes to the front suspension layout.”

Description: “The updates to the front suspension are specific to this circuit to allow for the higher steer demands of the Monaco track.”

Front Corner

Reason for change: Performance – mechanical set-up

Difference: “Small changes to be compatible with the front suspension changes.”

Description: “The updates to the front suspension are specific to this circuit to allow for the higher steer demands of the Monaco track.”

Williams

Front Suspension

Reason for change: Performance – mechanical set-up

Difference: “Change in steering arm length and modification to the outboard fairings of the front pushrod and front lower wishbone”

Description: “Increases the gain between steering wheel rotation and front road wheel angle. Helps achieve the steering required to negotiate the tight corners in Monaco.”

Front Corner

Reason for change: Circuit specific – cooling range

Difference: “Change to inlet and exit of the front brake ducts and minor revisions to the internal cooling paths”

Description: “We have worked to increase the brake disc/caliper cooling to more suit the unique demands of the Monaco Grand Prix”

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Haas

Front Corner

Reason for change: Performance – mechanical set-up

Difference: “For this event only we must allow for increased steering lock at the Lowes hairpin.”

Description: “Flexibility has been introduced to existing geometries to allow the steering arm to achieve the required envelope. The chassis side seals and the wheel side brake duct and seals have been modified to allow for this increased steering lock.”

This article will be updated

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2022 Monaco Grand Prix

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Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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7 comments on “Seven F1 teams bring updates for Monaco Grand Prix weekend”

  1. I wouldn’t call suspension/steering changes at Monaco upgrades, more like essentials to enable getting round corners such as Lowes.

  2. Barry Bens (@barryfromdownunder)
    27th May 2022, 11:09

    Wondering when Red Bull will come with their actual upgrades. They didn’t bring that much just yet and skipped Barcelona alltogether, whereas Ferrari brought everything then. With Verstappen claiming there was ‘plenty left in the tank’, I expected at least something before Silverstone (and then Silverstone itself obviously).

    1. They were bringing updates for races 2 to 5 IIRC.

    2. IIRC they mentioned planning a big one for Silverstone

    3. Electroball76
      27th May 2022, 16:50

      They’re waiting to see what Aston Martin do first

  3. Reason for change: Reliability

    Difference: “Reduced chord on mirror stay”

    Description: “An optional trimmed chord mirror stay has been released to cope with the visibility challenges in a street circuit like Monaco.”

    Calling this one out for not being anything to do with reliability…

  4. ady (@sixwheeler)
    27th May 2022, 15:50

    Question for the internet: what is the official name of that hairpin now? I’m seeing it variously called Fairmont or Grand Hotel. And when was it last officially known as Loews?

Comments are closed.