On some occasions they have been minor tweaks and optimizations, but on others significant improvement packages have been introduced. Thanks to a well-coordinated development program, Alpine has once again positioned itself in the fight for fourth place.
However, while few of its rivals have been able to keep up with it in terms of development, Alpine says there is no indication that they are running out of resources.
As Alan Permane , sporting director of the French team, said: “There has been something in every race. And that will continue to be the case. We have another small step for Hungary, and then we have two decent steps for Spa and Zandvoort.”
Alpine’s last big tweak revolved around updating its large sidepod , which draws inspiration from its own design, while also taking cues from Red Bull and Ferrari solutions. However, last week in France the ground was the main protagonist.
“For Silverstone we present our third floor of the year and this is an evolution of it,” added Permane. “It’s what we call the MK3B floor. There’s really not much you can see from [above], but the details are new.”
While that floor cutout at the midpoint is clearly different from the original MK3 floor, with the Red Bull influence most evident, it’s the underside of the floor, which you can’t see, that’s where the main changes are.
Like Red Bull and Ferrari, which have subsequently adopted the solution, the A522 now features an ‘ice-skate’ element.
Alpine A522 ‘Ice Skate’
As expected, without images of the bottom of the ground it is difficult to show the skid in detail, but this image allows us to clearly see the outermost tip (red arrow).
What can also be seen in this image is how the floor can be loaded in a multidirectional sense, as the frontmost part of the floor (ahead of the front floor arch) remains at a stable height above the track surface, while the rearmost section is closer to the asphalt.
The team was obviously happy with the reactions of their drivers and the data collected as, although they only had two of this version of the floor in France, they had sent the spare to their Enstone factory for modification.
“[In France] I think we had two new Mk3Bs and three version A,” Permane added. “The A’s are going to go back [to the factory] to be modified. It’s not a job that we can do on the track. Obviously, it’s a pretty complex change.”
Another impressive feat of Alpine ‘s success so far this season is the plan the A522 has had to get closer to the weight limit, something all the teams have struggled to achieve this year.
Normally cars gain weight throughout the season as new parts are introduced, but Permane says the French carmaker has managed to do the opposite.
“We’re very close [to the weight limit],” he said. “We’re not quite there, we’re agonizingly close to the limit, within a couple of kilos. It’s very difficult to cut weight, especially on a completely new car with a new concept. Normally cars gain three, four or five kilos throughout the season just by adding improvements.
“Now I think our car weighs seven or eight kilos less than at the beginning of the season, which is really a big step forward.”
Alpine still believes that significant improvements can be made in the remainder of the season, but they are also fully aware that certain aspects of their current design are limited due to the way the A522 is constructed. Therefore, the most extreme solutions may not come until 2023.
“We are still looking for the best solution for the floor,” added Permane.
“But I suspect that what we are learning this year will lead to a series of more extreme changes that we will see next year. This year we are limited by radiators, exhausts and things like that, but all of that can be changed for the year ahead. comes”.
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