Picture Credit: Formula 1
French car manufacturer Alpine may not have ideal results to talk about in the 2022 F1 season, but they are not shying away from experimenting with their cars. Despite being considerably behind in the standings, Alpine are confident that they have the package that can allow it to regularly fight at the front end of the midfield pack.
Now, with the Spanish Grand Prix next stop for F1 teams, Alpine are also gearing up to race in Barcelona. Like all teams, they are also coming up with an upgrade to their vehicle for the Spanish GP. Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has revealed that the most notable upgrade for its A522 will be at the back of the car.
“We’ve got a new rear wing coming for Spain,” he said. “It should be more efficient than the last time we ran there and it should be a little bit more performant, so we will have that for both cars.”
Alpine keeps experimenting
The French manufacturer have been experimenting with its vehicle in the 2022 season, especially with its rear wing. It carried a special rear wing in the Saudi Arabian GP and continued with it in Miami GP as well. Now, the Alpine team will carry a specially-designed rear wing in Spanish GP.
The special rear wing features a section of bodywork that has been patched into the upper rear corner of the endplate (red arrow). Ordinarily, teams use a cut-out here to disrupt the vortex that’s generated as the pressure gradients collide at the endplate and flap juncture.
Apart from working on design, Alpine is also working towards reducing the weight, a front on which teams have struggled this season. Alpine sporting director Alan Permane said the team had made good gains on this front with changes introduced at Imola, but it was not finished on this front yet.
“We've taken a bit, but there's still more to come,” Permane said. “We've got some good steps in that area coming. We are still a little bit on the high side weight-wise," he added.