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Post by wilmywood8455 on May 4, 2022 1:40:22 GMT -8
How did Alfa Romeo turn the C42 into a formidable midfield contender in 2022? Mark Hughes looks at the changes that see the Swiss-based team sit fifth ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.Alfa Romeo have been making significant progress of late and, at Imola, only a lost nine seconds in the pit lane to a cross-threaded wheel nut cost Valtteri Bottas a genuine shot at the podium. Rejoining after that problem, he quickly eradicated an 11s deficit to George Russell’s Mercedes and, had he been able to pass, he may have had the pace to have challenged Lando Norris’ third place. This came in the wake of significant aerodynamic upgrades to the C42. These comprised three sets of changes, which can be considered one coordinated update of the car’s airflow. What is significant about them is that they seem to represent a change of philosophy in how the rear ‘coke bottle’ section of bodywork contributes to the car’s aerodynamics.
The original sidepod (bottom) featured a more extreme coke bottle than the new one (top). This is very much counter to trends prior to the new regulations of this season. Alfa have actually increased the size of the bodywork in this area, finding that it ‘tidies up the flow in front of the rear tyres, improving the flow to the diffuser’.
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