The sudden rise of Aston Martin worries the Alfa Romeo team a lot, because the Hinwil team, after a great start to the season with both drivers, both Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou, in the points, has seen how only they have added with their single-seater in one of the last eight appointments.
It was at the Italian Grand Prix, with a tenth position for the Chinese, while the Finn has not finished in the top ten since the race in Canada, when he finished in seventh place, so only 15 units separate the Swiss from the British in the general classification of the constructors’ world championship for the current 2022 campaign.
Alfa Romeo, for that reason, has not abandoned the development of the C42, and at the Japanese Grand Prix they introduced a new front wing, in the hope of improving its performance and the aerodynamic efficiency of the Jan Monchaux -designed car.
Alfa Romeo C42 front wing modification detail for the 2022 F1 Japanese GP
Swiss engineers have modified the design of the side flaps at the point where it joins the other two additional ones, and have followed the concept introduced by Mercedes in its W13, something that the FIA decided to ban for the next season. 2023 because the teams have managed to increase the flow of air to the outside of the front tire, using that part of the flaps to be a kind of vortex generator.
It is curious that a team with such limited resources as Sauber , camouflaged until the end of 2023 under the name of Alfa Romeo and with the arrival of Audi at the helm, has decided to build a wing that cannot be used in the following season, although perhaps it is a sign that the danger alarms have gone off when they see that Aston Martin is approaching.
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