Connect with us

News

AlphaTauri says new F1 floor for Imola will be a “significant” step

Published

on


Faenza have had a difficult start to the 2023 season, following criticism from team boss Franz Tost and the sudden departure of head of aerodynamics Dickon Balmforth.

The team is pushing ahead with a substantial development program as it tries to squeeze more performance out of its cars.

Last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix saw revised front wings and mirrors, with the new floor being the next stage.

“We’re bringing a whole new floor to Imola,” said vehicle performance director Guillaume Dezoteux. “We’re looking forward to getting it in the car. It’s an important step, it’s a big step, so we hope to live up to expectations.

“There are always question marks about the quality of the relevance. But so far the updates we’ve brought have struggled to live up to expectations.

“This (Miami’s new) front wing is working well and in line with wind tunnel predictions, so we’re looking forward to the day.”

Dezoteux confirmed that the modified wing was part of the increased wash volume.

Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT04

Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT04

Photography: Zak Mauger / motorsport pictures

The 2022 regulations were designed to reduce this as it was identified as a key parameter that was difficult to comply with, but it gradually increased as teams developed their cars.

“We’ve changed the geometry around the flap elements and end plates to try and create more outwash,” he noted. “In this set of regulations, it’s always been about controlling the washdown and wake of the car, but at the expense of performance.

“All the teams are trying to find many small solutions to reproduce the scour, which is good for the flow structure and the downforce generated from the bottom of the car.”

Regarding the revised wing mirrors introduced in Miami, he said: “There is a new geometry designed to modify the flow structure at the rear of the car to improve the car’s aerodynamic performance in different conditions.”

Also read:

The team hopes that even a modest gain will lead to useful results.

“The midfield is very tight,” Dezoteux said. “You have more than 10 cars in 1% of the lap. So the opportunities are there. If the pace is good enough, that could get us a couple of places on the grid, but everyone is developing.

“So I think that’s what we’ll see throughout the year, this half-time game is going to be very interesting.”

Dezoteux noted that after Balmforth left, the team was pursuing a different development path with revised priorities.

“The direction of the car has changed,” he said. “We’re changing the weighting of the cars we want to develop a little bit.

“It’s going to take time to actually become something new in the car. But that’s what happened a while ago.”

Dezoteux also acknowledged Tost’s recent assertion that he now trusts his technical team: “I’m glad he said that! Franz is very supportive of the team of engineers around him.

“He’s a racing driver. He’s hungry for good results, like all of us, and he was definitely frustrated at the start of the season.

“But the competition is the biggest and it’s up to us to show that we’re capable enough to move on.”

Additional reporting by Matt Kew

News

Formula E qualifying in Jakarta: Günther on pole again

Published

on

By




Maximilian Günther kept his form from rounds 10 to 11 in Jakarta. There, too, the German-Austrian driver secured pole position.

Continue Reading

News

Barcelona F1 qualifying pace a ‘confirming moment’ for Alpine

Published

on

By


Pierre Gasly repeated Ocon’s performance at the Principality, finishing fourth on a day when others failed to get it right, although he was later held back by Carlos Sainz ) and Max Verstappen were relegated six places.

Ocon, meanwhile, had a less-than-perfect lap in Q3 but was still seventh ahead of Sunday’s grid thanks to a team-mate’s penalty.

“It’s fantastic,” Ocon said when asked by Autosport about the car being fourth fastest again.

“If you had told me two games ago, I wouldn’t have believed it.

“Credit to Viry and Enstone for the work they’ve done, as those upgrades we’ve brought to them are clearly working.

“It’s a moment of confirmation after Monaco, the car is obviously more dynamic, so we’re happy.”

Ocon admitted he didn’t have the best overtake on the final lap, which contributed to his lack of Gasly.

“We optimized very well in all qualifying sessions, except for my performance in Q3,” he explained.

“Probably the tires weren’t as good at the start of the lap as all the other runs we maxed out, and in the rear I didn’t have that good grip.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1 Team

Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1 Team

Photography: Erik Junius

“It was a bit like Fernando (Alonso), I lost the rear entry to Turn 10, I went a little wide and I lost a lot of lap time there. So there was definitely more possibility today, but it was A great place to start.

“I was really happy today because it was so close and it meant that if we had good lap times we could be there, which is fantastic.

“I hope F1 will stay like this for a long time, and P1 will do likewise.”

Before his penalty was confirmed, Gasly responded to Ocon’s statement about the state of the team.

“I’m very happy for the team because it’s the best qualifying of the season,” he said.

“It’s more important than the result itself. I’m happy with the evolution we’ve shown over the past few weekends.

“It’s early in the season and I’m getting to know the team every weekend. They’re getting to know myself, you know, it’s about putting things together. I really feel like every weekend, we’re taking a step forward. .

“It was a really strong lap. I always look further. When I see Carlos coming in second with less than 10th, it really shows that we are on the gear we have There is potential, and the upgrades are working.

“Overall, there are a lot of positives in this qualifying session.”

Continue Reading

News

De Vries predicts Spanish Grand Prix: 'Lots of relegation to tyres'

Published

on

By




Nyck de Vries has performed much better in Monaco than at previous Grands Prix this season. The Dutch seem to have brought this form to the Spanish country. Around Barcelona, ​​the AlphaTauri drivers had a great time. He started the race in 14th place. In a press conference with GPblog and others, De Vries looked to the future.

Continue Reading

news