The change in philosophy that has helped Alfa Romeo shine

April 29, 2022

Bottas has shone after leaving Mercedes and it was not lost on fans how the Finn was able to put pressure on his former team at last weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas’s great pace was aided by a fairly significant upgrade from his team to Imola, where he made a notable change in philosophy, and it was clear on his pontoons.

However, the changes to Alfa Romeo’s C42 start at the front of the flat bottom, where the layout of the ground leading edge and winglets has been modified to improve not only the way airflow migrates under the car, but also the way it travels around the top surface and around the pontoon.

Comparing the new pontoon design to the old one, you can see that the bodywork is now lowered to meet the ground, which will clearly have an impact on how the airflow not only travels around but also over this lateral region. .

Alfa Romeo C42 floor detail

Luckily, the Alfa Romeo livery helps give it a better look, as the red section at the rear of the sidepod illustrates the differences between the two configurations without the need for special revision.

It’s also worth noting how that undercut is held back for as long as possible before the ground and sidepod merge, allowing room for airflow as it moves along the side of the car .

Alfa Romeo C42 sidepods comparison

As can be seen in the top-down overview shots (inset), the new ground-merging bodywork does not fully align with the top surface of the pontoon to create the full-width downwash ramps. that we have seen in other single-seaters.

However, it is likely to improve the geometry of the ground considering how it corresponds when viewed from the bottom.

Some modifications were also made to the rear brake duct slats, changing the geometry of the front section to open up the channel for which the inlet resides behind (red arrow).