Title: AlphaTauri’s Impressive Performance Upgrade: A Closer Look at the AT04 Car Transformation
Introduction:
AlphaTauri, currently at the bottom of the constructors’ championship, has experienced a significant performance improvement since upgrading its AT04 car at the Singapore Grand Prix. This upgrade, one of the most impressive of the season, centered around a complete redesign of the floor, a crucial element for the performance of post-’21 generation cars. With six races remaining, AlphaTauri is now determined to catch up and surpass the Alfa Romeo and Haas teams.
1. The Importance of Upgrading the Floor:
Teams in Formula 1 are constantly seeking the optimum geometry for the ground effect tunnels within their cars. McLaren’s successful update in Austria demonstrated how substantial strides can be made in this area. AlphaTauri’s powerful upgrade introduced a completely redesigned floor, which has played a key role in their improved performance.
2. Changes to the Pontoon Shape:
The redesigned pontoon shape indicates implicit changes to the ground. The most visually noticeable alteration is the new “hump” on the upper surface of the sidepod. This channel-like feature prevents air from spilling over the body and interfering with crucial airflow along the edges of the floor, ultimately enhancing ground performance. Furthermore, subtle changes in the upper body profile further back manipulate air pressure and speed up airflow along the sides of the floor.
3. Altered Diffuser Profile:
Another significant change is the modified diffuser profile. The new hump on the sidepod creates a channel that separates the upper and lower body airflow, preserving the airflow along the edges of the floor. The altered diffuser’s role involves improving rear grip in slow corners, a challenge that has plagued the team throughout the season. By generating low-speed cornering performance, the diffuser plays a vital role in enhancing overall car performance.
4. Edge Changes and Front Tunnel Profile:
The visible edges of the new floor have undergone substantial transformations, contributing to the effectiveness of the vortices created. These changes allow for a more powerful boost to the vortices’ acceleration, resulting in an accelerated flow of air passing through the tunnels. Additionally, the lower edge of the front sidepod has been raised, creating a steeper downward slope to the tunnel and providing a larger area to propagate a more powerful vortex.
5. AlphaTauri’s Race Performance:
Although AlphaTauri’s performance on race days in Singapore and Japan was compromised by strategic decisions that didn’t work out, the underlying performance boost from the upgrade suggests that the team has the potential to fight back from the bottom of the championship table. With several races remaining, AlphaTauri aims to capitalize on the car’s enhanced performance and close the gap with Alfa Romeo and Haas.
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AlphaTauri’s recent performance upgrade marks a turning point for the team. The AT04 car has transformed into a formidable contender, capable of challenging the established teams in Formula 1. This upgrade not only showcases the team’s technical prowess but also underscores the ever-evolving nature of the sport.
The redesigned floor, a crucial component of the AT04’s transformation, exemplifies the quest for perfection in Formula 1. With teams constantly searching for the ultimate ground effect tunnels within their cars, such upgrades can make a massive difference in performance. The floor’s redesigned shape and altered pontoon and diffuser profiles demonstrate AlphaTauri’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of engineering innovation.
Furthermore, the team’s ability to capitalize on these upgrades is a testament to their adaptability and determination. AlphaTauri’s improved performance in Singapore and Japan, making it to Q3 on two contrasting tracks, indicates the team’s progress.
However, the journey is far from over. With six races remaining, AlphaTauri faces the challenge of catching up to teams higher up in the constructors’ championship. The battle to surpass Alfa Romeo and Haas and secure a higher position is underway.
As Formula 1 enthusiasts, we are witnessing the emergence of a new force in the sport. AlphaTauri’s resurgence serves as a reminder that no team should be underestimated. With their newfound performance, they have the potential to surprise their competitors and solidify their place among the top contenders.
Conclusion:
AlphaTauri’s upgraded AT04 car has propelled the team to a higher level of performance, surpassing teams that were previously ahead of them in the championship standings. The redesign of the floor, coupled with changes to the pontoon shape, diffuser profile, and front tunnel, has significantly enhanced the car’s overall aerodynamics and cornering capabilities. AlphaTauri’s rise from the bottom of the table is a testament to their technical expertise and determination to succeed.
As the season progresses, AlphaTauri’s upgraded car will continue to be a force to be reckoned with on the track, breathing new life into their championship aspirations. The team’s performance improvement serves as a reminder that in Formula 1, even the underdogs can unleash their potential and challenge the hierarchy of the sport.
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AlphaTauri may be languishing at the bottom of the constructors’ championship, but since substantially upgrading its AT04 car in Singapore two races ago, it is now performing at a higher level than the teams immediately above it in the points table. With six races left, he begins the race to catch up and surpass the Alfa Romeo and Haas teams.
At both Singapore and Suzuka, two contrasting tracks, AlphaTauri made it to Q3, having done so in only two of the previous 14 races. Its average lead deficit before Singapore’s improvement was 1.6 seconds, compared to 1.1 seconds in the combined Singapore and Japanese trials.
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The key to the powerful upgrade responsible for that performance increase (one of the most impressive of any team this season) was a completely redesigned floor. The ground is the absolute key to performance in the post-’21 generation of cars and teams are constantly looking to find the ultimate geometry for the ground effect tunnels within them.
McLaren demonstrated earlier this season with its transformative update in Austria that huge strides can be made there. This is the equivalent of AlphaTauri.
Without detailed “before and after” images of the soil, changes in soil geometry can only be implicit from those to the pontoons. The changes seen there are solely intended to facilitate the improvement of soil performance.
There are three key changes to the shape of the pontoon that suggest changes to the ground.
The pontoon profile
The most visually obvious change is the new “hump” on the upper surface of the sidepod towards the front, just behind the radiator inlet. This replaces the previous smooth downward contour and, by creating more of a channel, prevents air from spilling over the side of the body and interfering with crucial airflow along the edges of the floor just above the ground.
Keeping these two flows separate plays an important role in ground performance because the vortices created by the various cutouts and wing serve two vital functions: they help accelerate the air within the tunnels and form a seal that prevents airflow. pass through the tunnels. Tunnels simply leak out the sides.
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Several other cars have a defined “water slide” depression in that upper surface to serve this function. The hump has been AlphaTauri’s solution to achieve the same thing without having to relocate a large part of the cooling system inside.
There is a more subtle change in the upper body profile further back. It is no longer a single smooth line, but descends and then rises at the back to accentuate the channel before cutting off abruptly.
This will manipulate the air pressure in that region differently, probably with the goal of speeding up airflow along the sides of the floor into the space between the rear wheels and the diffuser walls. The diffuser profile has also been changed.
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There is a more subtle change in the upper body profile further back. It is no longer a single smooth line, but descends and then rises at the back to accentuate the channel before cutting off abruptly.
This will manipulate the air pressure in that region differently, probably with the goal of speeding up airflow along the sides of the floor into the space between the rear wheels and the diffuser walls. The diffuser profile has also been changed.
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The combination of more powerful vortex generation along the edges of the floor with the more abruptly shaped sidepod tail should have helped with the lack of rear grip in slow corners that drivers have complained about throughout. it’s from the season. Keeping this airflow energized as the car’s speed decreases, without the flow simply being interrupted, is crucial to generating low-speed cornering performance.
Or, as AlphaTauri itself put it in the Singapore car’s update document: “Changes to the front edge of the floor reduce local static pressure at the edge of the floor and help attract greater mass flow under the front floor between the fences…diffuser modifications improve strength. of the rear floor edge vorticity, which generates a local charge gain within the diffuser.”
The AlphaTauri car, photographed here in Japan, compared to the pre-Singapore car in image two.
Floor edge changes
The visible edges of the new floor are also substantially different. They give up some allowed floor area in the front, but the losses from that will be more than gained by the way the larger cutout should give a more powerful boost to the vortices created as air falls through the undercut section. of the pontoon. up and starts spinning.
These vortices travel along the edges of the floor, accelerating the flow of adjacent air passing through the tunnels.
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Front tunnel profile
Complementing the new floor surround is a change to the lower edge of the front of the sidepod. The entire front has been raised to give a more extreme downward slope to the tunnel.
At the front, the edge outlining the tunnel profile has been moved closer to the “canyon” section of the bodywork above. This has not only created a steeper initial downward slope for the tunnel, but has also provided a larger area around the outer edges of the floor to help propagate a more powerful vortex.
It’s still relatively early and race day performance in both Singapore and Japan was compromised by strategic decisions that didn’t work out. But the underlying performance boost from this update suggests that AlphaTauri has more than a chance to fight back from the bottom of the table.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.tech-tuesday-how-alphatauris-upgrade-gives-them-a-much-needed-performance.5797bMpO52AavD98uwJ82h.html
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