A genius move? Alfa Romeo create Ferrari Red Bull hybrid
A genius move? Alfa Romeo create Ferrari Red Bull hybrid
Alfa Romeo became the fourth team to unveil its 2023 F1 challenger when taking the covers off the C43.
The Swiss-based Sauber team enters its final year with Alfa Romeo before sights turn towards 2026 and Audi, with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu leading the charge.
But whilst the previous launches have been low-key affairs when it comes to the detail included on the presented cars, Alfa Romeo has shown off plenty of detail on the C43.
It seems the technical department has taken on multiple aerodynamic solutions from the first season of F1's new regulations, so what has the launch shown?
Front of the car relatively unchanged... for now
Alfa Romeo flew out of the gates last season with an impressive run of results - Bottas regularly the best of the rest behind Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.
A lack of resources clearly hampered the Hinwil-based outfit, with a string of non-points finishes and reliability issues dropping the team down the pecking order.
A late-season development of the front end, including the front wing, proved fruitful as Alfa Romeo awoke from a mid-season slumber and the success of the update meant the technical department, led by Jan Monchaux, could switch focus to other areas.
READ MORE: Albon 'confused and concerned' by FIA clampdown
"We developed quite late into the season last year and we brought a front wing to Suzuka, if I remember well," said technical director Monchaux.
"So front end is more difficult in terms of development in the numerical world and the wind tunnel.
"The return on investment is smaller - it doesn't mean there is no performance, as long as we are not first on the timing sheets, we have performance to grab everywhere.
"But since you have got limited wind tunnel runs to test, you are also limited on resources, at some point you have to make a strategic call on where am I investing the majority of my resources.
"I am more in favour of doing one thing properly than starting five different dishes and ending with solutions that are just marginally better."
Insinuating changes to the front end will be made by the time the C43 hits the track, Monchaux added: "So the front end, don't worry, we have been working on and there will be significant changes presented at least at the start of the season.
"But generally speaking for us, it is an area we struggle more to put performance because of the constraints of the regulation than the floor, which offers a lot more freedom."
Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear race suits. 👊 #GetCloser #F1 pic.twitter.com/VN6xkTjM0F
— Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake (@alfaromeof1) February 7, 2023
Rear end takes Red Bull, Ferrari inspiration
The most striking developments have been made from the midsection of the C43 and back.
The aggressive Red Bull-style sidepod ramp creates downwash towards the rear section of the floor, manipulating the airflow to pay dividends further down the car's aerodynamic journey.
A team taking inspiration from the world championship-winning constructor is no surprise, so it makes sense that the Red Bull-esque parcel shelf is found on the engine cover, creating a two-step bodywork configuration.
What is fascinating is the inclusion of the Ferrari-style scalloped top face of the sidepods, with the bodywork swooping inwards and back out to create a 'bathtub'.
The marrying of two styles that clinched the top two positions in last season's constructors' standings could prove to be a genius move for Alfa Romeo.
Of course, the fact the team runs Ferrari engines makes the scalloped sidepod with the cooling louvres an understandable addition.
On the major changes, Monchaux explained: "We have been seeing the evolution of the new cars, the new regs last year and had to acknowledge there were better solutions to manage the flow to the diffuser, the flow to the rear tyres.
"But because of the decisions we had made on an architectural point of view, we were stuck in a corner.
"We have effectively been doing the changes, as you will notice, on the rear axis.
"We have a different cooling arrangement and this opens the door for quite a change for us in terms of bodywork and how we handle the hot air coming from the radiators compared to last year's car.
READ MORE: Bottas demands 'more' after 2022 Alfa Romeo decline
"It is not a revolution. Similar solutions were on the grid already last year but it is something we couldn't implement without a major change of the architecture."
Monchaux also revealed extensive revisions to the rear suspension and, in turn, the gearbox casing.
On the floor, the C43 sports an aggressively cut floor edge which aims to add to the downwash effect and negate the loss of downforce through the regulation tweaks made for the year.
Roll hoop solution
FIA regulations have changed to ensure roll hoops do not fail like Alfa Romeo's did during Zhou's terrifying incident at the British Grand Prix last year.
But whilst it is now dictated that hoop designs must be rounded, the team has been forced to keep a blade-like design due to the lateness of the changes in the development process.
The team has combated this issue with bodywork around the roll hoop itself to try and dissuade the digging effect caused by last year's blade.
Livery sets out developing trend
The white of last year's livery has been substituted for black on Alfa Romeo's new design.
Looking at the black seen for Haas and Williams in particular, F1's newest trend has fully arrived.
With weight issues dominating technical headlines last season, teams are searching for any solution that will save on that front.
Whilst paint may be light - perhaps a matter of a couple of hundred grams across the entire car - every little helps and that is why black is the colour of choice this year.
Where black is featured on a design, paint will simply be stripped so that bare carbon fibre is on show, therefore saving weight.
This is just another example of the attention to detail F1 teams go to in order to extract the maximum performance.
READ MORE: February 2023: Key dates for your diary
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Ricciardo Red Bull apology revealed as IMMEDIATE Perez replacement tipped - GPFans F1 Recap
- 2 hours ago
Kravitz praised by F1 star after cheeky Marko prank
- 3 hours ago
Red Bull star reveals Ricciardo replacement APOLOGY
- Yesterday 21:56
F1 News Today: Verstappen fumes at Red Bull as FIA issue HUGE penalty
- Yesterday 21:27
Late US GP change CONFIRMED
- Yesterday 20:54
'Devastated' Hamilton issues heartfelt statement
- Yesterday 19:52
F1 Race Calendar 2024
-
GP USA
3 - 5 May
Lando Norris
-
GP ITALY
17 - 19 May
Max Verstappen
-
GP MONACO
24 - 26 May
Charles Leclerc
-
GP CANADA
7 - 9 Jun
Max Verstappen
-
GP SPAIN
21 - 23 Jun
Max Verstappen
-
GP AUSTRIA
28 - 30 Jun
George Russell
-
GP GREAT BRITAIN
5 - 7 Jul
Lewis Hamilton
-
GP HUNGARY
19 - 21 Jul
Oscar Piastri
-
GP BELGIUM
26 - 28 Jul
Lewis Hamilton
-
GP NETHERLANDS
23 - 25 Aug
Lando Norris
-
GP ITALY
30 Aug - 1 Sep
Charles Leclerc
-
GP AZERBAIJAN
13 - 15 Sep
Oscar Piastri
-
GP SINGAPORE
20 - 22 Sep
Lando Norris
-
GP USA
18 - 20 Oct
Charles Leclerc
- GP MEXICO 25 - 27 Oct
- GP BRAZIL 1 - 3 Nov
- GP USA 22 - 24 Nov
- GP QATAR 29 Nov - 1 Dec
- GP ABU DHABI 6 - 8 Dec
Related news
F1 team to change names between races in 2024
‘If Shrek was in F1’ - Fans BLAST team’s new 2024 car
F1 team announce SIGNING of 'remarkable' driver ahead of 2024 season
F1 team hint new livery with Drake video tease
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Franco Alejandro Colapinto
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Oliver Bearman
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- AWS Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860