Alpine executive director Marcin Budkowski has explained the thinking behind the unusually large engine cover on the team’s new A521.
The car is closely based on the car the team raced last year, when it was known as Renault. Alpine has repackaged components around its power unit which has resulted in noticeably larger bodywork at the rear of the car compared to its predecessor (below).However the team’s executive director Marcin Budkowski said this change has allowed the teams to make gains elsewhere.
“It’s a technical choice. We found that slimming the sidepods was a positive direction, which is nothing new really,” he explained.
“So we’ve repackaged and relocated some of the bulky things in the car and we’ve put them behind the air inlet.
“Yes, it gives a fairly spectacularly bulky shape in the car but still, we found it works for us. Yes, there are centre of gravity compromises but usually the aero performance wins over weight and centre of gravity.”
Budkowski said the team made a “pretty solid start” to their testing programme with Esteban Ocon yesterday.
“It was a good day yesterday with Esteban in the car for the whole day. We ran through all our programme, lots of aero testing, some set-up work.
“He was fairly comfortable in the car by the end of the day. Obviously, conditions were particularly tricky with the wind and the sandstorm. But a positive day in the office yesterday.”
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anon
13th March 2021, 13:28
Half surprised that nobody has looked at that car and drawn a comparison with the high-airbox version of the Ligier JS5…
StephenH
13th March 2021, 13:34
Reminds me of some of the old ‘teapot’ Ligiers from the mid 70’s…
BasCB (@bascb)
13th March 2021, 13:48
Yeah, linkback to the glorydays of Ligier!
erikje
13th March 2021, 18:03
The glorydays of Ligier when they crushed all times during testing, using a illegal car with almost no fuel?
RS_Rocket
13th March 2021, 19:13
Wasn’t that after Ligier became Prost, about 30 years later?
BasCB (@bascb)
14th March 2021, 13:59
No, by that time they did not impress even in testing anymore!
Yeah, Erikje, I know, Ligier never really had that much success, did they.
RS_Rocket
14th March 2021, 16:01
Definitely suggestions that Prost GP used this trick…
Rodber
13th March 2021, 13:54
Then again, they could be on a fiddle. Time will tell.
Maciek (@maciek)
13th March 2021, 14:48
Interestingly, by contrast, the intake is quite small compared to other teams… and from this pic looks like Williams is crazy bulky in other ways https://www.racefans.net/2021/03/13/2021-f1-pre-season-testing-day-two-in-pictures/motor-racing-formula-one-testing-day-two-sakhir-bahrain-84/
William Eddy
13th March 2021, 17:14
The Williams certainly does look pregnant. Perhaps there’s a baby F1 car in there waiting to get out!
Ross
14th March 2021, 3:58
Williams certainly looks like a different concept from the rest of the grid, sort of like RP toward the end of last year, ramping down into the floor.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
13th March 2021, 15:45
If it works it aint stupid.
JohnH (@johnrkh)
14th March 2021, 8:50
@jureo Exactly. Modern submarines are huge round bulbous things that are light years more efficient at travelling under water than the sleek knife shaped subs of WW2.
Pedro Andrade
13th March 2021, 16:08
With so many people complaining about lack of external innovation in F1 cars, this certainly looks different, good on them to try!
Tommy Scragend
13th March 2021, 17:41
Not saying it’s easy on the eye, but it’s good to have cars looking different from each other again. They’ve all become a bit too identikit these days.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
14th March 2021, 7:05
I have to agree, other than the wheelbase of the Mercedes and the rake of the Red Bull, if you painted all of the cars from the last couple of years the same colour i’d struggle to tell them apart.
Kurtbranson
13th March 2021, 18:02
Anyone else draw comparisons to Godzilla?? Personally I think it makes it looks more GT and road style/badass compared to the narrower versions. I’m not even a Renault/alpine fan.
reg (@reg)
14th March 2021, 3:03
A521 Jumbo! Lovely to see something different, but weight that high up versus in the side pods seems ill advised.