Photo: AlpineF1Team
Formula 1 is a constant battle between engineers as much as it is between the drivers and strategists.
Not only are they responsible for making a car that can compete for podiums and race wins but they are also tasked with bringing constant upgrades to make sure it becomes better throughout the season. Well, let’s just say that this was a much simpler goal a couple of seasons ago than it is today.
The budget cap and development time regulations have cut down on how much money the big teams can throw at the problem. However, this does not seem to be an issue for Alpine. They have been consistently upgrading their car and have significantly closed the gap to the front-running teams. Not only did the French team bring new floors for both cars ahead of the Singapore GP, but they are not planning to wind the development down until the Austin GP in the United States.
And it seems their focus on development has paid off, with both of their drivers feeling confident after driving the car in Friday practice. Still, there was a bit of fine-tuning to do regarding their setup, but they seem to have gotten a handle on it, as Fernando Alonso qualified P5 for the start of the race. Although Esteban Ocon will be starting much further back, the Spaniard’s performance goes to show that the car is right behind the top teams in terms of pace.
The floor seems to have been chosen as a focus due to the cost efficiency of upgrading it. It seems that the team can shave a bit more lap time this way than by developing the front wing, and they're spending the same amount of money. They are confident these new upgrades will put them back on top of the mid-field.
But how is Alpine able to keep developing their car? Well, it seems that money is not the only answer but also the technology they developed for their car.
Let’s start with money because Alpine has roughly 100 fewer staff than the bigger teams, giving them a bit more leeway when it comes to their budget. Next up is the modular bodywork technology they have been developing for quite some time. This allows the French team to upgrade their car with just a patchwork of changes, rather than redeveloping entire components.
With Alpine having developed such a strong backbone for the new regulations, we are excited to see what they are able to achieve in the coming seasons.
The budget cap and development time regulations have cut down on how much money the big teams can throw at the problem. However, this does not seem to be an issue for Alpine. They have been consistently upgrading their car and have significantly closed the gap to the front-running teams. Not only did the French team bring new floors for both cars ahead of the Singapore GP, but they are not planning to wind the development down until the Austin GP in the United States.
And it seems their focus on development has paid off, with both of their drivers feeling confident after driving the car in Friday practice. Still, there was a bit of fine-tuning to do regarding their setup, but they seem to have gotten a handle on it, as Fernando Alonso qualified P5 for the start of the race. Although Esteban Ocon will be starting much further back, the Spaniard’s performance goes to show that the car is right behind the top teams in terms of pace.
The floor seems to have been chosen as a focus due to the cost efficiency of upgrading it. It seems that the team can shave a bit more lap time this way than by developing the front wing, and they're spending the same amount of money. They are confident these new upgrades will put them back on top of the mid-field.
But how is Alpine able to keep developing their car? Well, it seems that money is not the only answer but also the technology they developed for their car.
Let’s start with money because Alpine has roughly 100 fewer staff than the bigger teams, giving them a bit more leeway when it comes to their budget. Next up is the modular bodywork technology they have been developing for quite some time. This allows the French team to upgrade their car with just a patchwork of changes, rather than redeveloping entire components.
With Alpine having developed such a strong backbone for the new regulations, we are excited to see what they are able to achieve in the coming seasons.
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