#Alpine “look forward to racing those guys” as ATR limit bites F1’s top teams | 2023 F1 season

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Alpine look forward to racing those guys as ATR limit bites F1s top teams | 2023 F1 season

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer says they are looking forward to taking on Formula 1’s leading teams as the series’ performance-balancing rules increasingly affect the competitive order. Under changes introduced to F1’s Aerodynamic Testing Regulations in 2020, the amount of development work teams may conduct using a wind tunnel or Computational Fluid Dynamics is restricted based on how high they finish in the championship. The champions receive the lowest testing allocation and the last-placed team gets the most. Alpine finished fourth in the constructors championship last year, meaning it can conduct more development work than Mercedes, Ferrari and champions Red Bull. However Alpine finished a long way behind those teams: Third-placed Mercedes scored almost three times as many points. Nonetheless Szafnauer believes that the combination of largely stable regulations and the variable ATR limits will help his team close the gap to their rivals. Pictures: Alpine reveal A523 in regular livery and pink colours for first three races “The regulations have changed again due to porpoising,” he acknowledged at the team’s launch last week. “I think the gap does change if you leave the regulations the same because it’s harder for, say, a top team to find at the margin even further gains. But we know that those gains exist because they have them, so we will close the gap quicker. “That plus having a development rate that’s higher gets you there quicker. So I look forward to us racing those guys.” The introduction of a budget cap during 2021 has also prevented F1’s top teams from out-spending their rivals. However Szafnauer admitted the effect of the cap can vary from team to team. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free “If you’re spending at the cap and your cap is effectively the same as the others, then I think it makes it easier,” he told media including RaceFans. “But everyone has different organisational structures now and I think because of it the effective cap might be a little bit different.” Report: Alpine explains why its fix for engine problems had to wait until 2023 There is an “inevitable budget cap competition that’s happening now”, he added. “So we’re working hard on it.” Last year three teams were found to broken the cost cap rules. One of those, Red Bull, overspent. However Szafnauer expects compliance will improve this year. “I think some of the problems that teams had last year was because it was new,” he said. “So I think the longer the cost cap goes, the more we’ll be able to refine our processes and the more fidelity we’ll have in measuring all the costs and the less problems that there will be.” “The cost cap is really, really important to Formula 1,” he stressed. “I think it drives a couple of things. One, better valuations for the teams, which is helpful to have financial stability and financial health. And I think also the cost cap might bring the field closer together and have better racing. So the cost cap should stay.” Alpine complied with the cost cap rules last year and Szafnauer is confident they will have no problems again this year. “You won’t be surprised from us,” he said. “We’ll be under.” Bringing the F1 news from the source RaceFans strives to bring its readers news directly from the key players in Formula 1. We are able to do this thanks in part to the generous backing of our RaceFans Supporters. By contributing £1 per month or £12 per year (or the equivalent in other currencies) you can help cover the costs involved in producing original journalism: Travelling, writing, creating, hosting, contacting and developing. We have been proudly supported by our readers for over 10 years. If you enjoy our independent coverage, please consider becoming a RaceFans Supporter today. As a bonus, all our Supporters can also browse the site ad-free. Sign up or find out more via the links below: Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free 2023 F1 season Browse all 2023 F1 season articles via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net/