Alpha Tauri F1 AT04: important changes evident in rendered images[F1-Gate.com]

RacingNews365.com technical analyst Paolo Filisetti explained the clear changes that can be read from the rendered image of Scuderia AlphaTauri’s 2023 F1 machine “AT04”. Renderings of the AlphaTauri AT04 suggest it will be very similar to its predecessor, the AT03. Visually, it looks much less changed between seasons than other teams’ renderings of their 2023 F1 cars so far.

But even there you can see the changes. The first thing you notice when you look at the AlphaTauri AT04 is that the rear suspension, which was the pull-rod type on last year’s car, is now a push-rod type. This change is easily explained. Last year, Scuderia AlphaTauri decided not to use the Red Bull Technologies transmission and suspension package. Instead, they designed and built their own rear end with suspension and transmission manufactured in Faenza. This time around, the integration between Red Bull and AlphaTauri has become tighter. Both cars use the same transmission and rear suspension layout, so there is a big technology transfer from Red Bull Technologies to AlphaTauri. This is perfectly legal within the F1 rules. In terms of appearance, the sidepods are an evolution of last year’s, with a more rounded shape. Although the sidepod inlets are elongated and clearly more similar to Ferrari’s, they are moving towards the Red Bull concept. This doesn’t change the AT04’s main aerodynamic concept, which is to use the sculpted area under the sidepods similar to the Red Bull. On the front, you can see the long, rounded nose tip. This is a rendering, so I don’t know how close it is to the actual front wing. The team appears to have the tail flaps mounted behind the endplates to maximize the wing’s outwash capabilities. It also appears to be trying to increase the downforce generated by the central front wing with wide upper flaps, like those found in Alfa Romeo. At the moment, the car’s cooling appears to be minimal, but it could show some gills on the top of the sidepods, the sides of the cockpit, or the bottom of the engine bay. Another important point is that the rear T-shaped bodywork, which is characteristic of Red Bull and Alpha Tauri, blows air towards the beam wing with a wide central flap. This is the correct use of the beam wing and is essential to avoid interference with the diffuser by hot air, which is less dense than cold air. If hot air were to spill out from under the diffuser, the hot air velocity would be dramatically lower than the cold air velocity, reducing the efficiency of air extraction from under the car. Also, as the hot air escapes upwards, it must be reactivated towards the exit of the diffuser, otherwise the airflow will slow down and the diffuser will work less efficiently.