Alfa Romeo chose Warsaw to drop the veils of the C41. In honor of the generous sponsor Orlen, the team from Hinwil went to the home of Robert Kubica, the third driver of the team, to baptize a car that will have to relaunch the fortunes of a brand that last year slipped to eighth place in the Constructors’ World Championship .
Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi confirmed for the third year in a row, it can be said that the strength of the structure of the team headed by Fredric Vasseur is continuity. In men, but also in the car which essentially represents the evolution of the 2020 project directed by Jan Monchaux, were it not for that narrow nose that represents a sign of breaking with the past, together with the return of red as the main color of the bellies, associated with the white that brings out the new nose and the engine dome.
The C41, in fact, has two valid reasons to hope to improve performance in that center group of the grid, which many are aiming for. First: the flattened nose which should ensure a better efficiency of the front; second: the Ferrari power unit which cannot be “deflated” with power like the one in 2020.
Antonio Giovinazzi, Kimi Raikkonen, Robert Kubica, Alfa Romeo Racing C41
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
The hope, therefore, is to realize a leap in quality, even if the basic qualities will be those of the C39 that ended last season. We pointed this out last week: Alfa Romeo, after the “queen” Mercedes, was the team that covered the most kilometers in the past championship, a sign that the Swiss car has a great merit: it’s very reliable.
With the two interventions we have already mentioned, Sauber hopes to improve performance by relocating the “Biscione” in a position more suited to the glorious emblem of the brand.
Recall that on the C41 there is a leap in the numbering of the chassis because the C40 would actually be the ground-effect single-seater that was postponed from 2021 to 2022, but whose project started before the car we discovered today.
Alfa Romeo Racing C41
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
Muzzle narrower, but not too tight!
The most striking element is certainly the flattened and swept nose on which the two development tokens granted by the restrictive FIA rules have been spent. For the rest, Alfa Romeo seems nothing more than an adaptation of the car to the new aerodynamic rules.
The nose, which has undergone a crash test to be homologated, follows the prevailing fashion, inaugurated by Mercedes and pursued by almost everyone, not by Ferrari. The orientation, however, was not so much that indicated by the W11 world champion, as the derivation is more similar to that of last year’s McLaren.
The nose is slightly narrower than that of 2020 and is not as extreme as that of the black arrow, but it is more flattened so that the classic shield that characterizes the Alfa Romeo grilles has disappeared, giving way to an oval central socket that derives from a arrow protuberance. The two pillars that support the front wing, therefore, remain very separate unlike the other narrower constructions and become the starting point of the cape.
The coat is larger
The space has been created for a new design cape that draws the air further ahead than the C39 solution and shows a larger surface that allows to channel the flows towards the turning vanes and barge boards. In this area, Alfa Romeo has put a touch of originality in the flow trend.
The front wing has remained faithful to the out-wash philosophy first introduced by Alfa Romeo: the will remains to move the flows outside the front wheel in an attempt to reduce the turbulence that is generated in that crucial area of the car. The main profile is characterized by a larger curl at the side of the neutral zone of 500 mm.
In spite of the McLaren MCL35 which was presented without the S-duct, the C41 has maintained the passage of air that transfers the air from under the nose onto the frame thanks to which it is possible to increase the air filling under the drivers’ legs. .
Alfa Romeo Racing C41
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
Double bracket front suspension
The front suspension has maintained the push rod pattern with the two brackets: the upper triangle is offset towards the rear with respect to the axis and pivots to the hub holder with a new design pivot to prevent it from rubbing against the new Pirelli rubber which introduces a different construction, more rigid and with a more “paunchy” shoulder design.
The front brake duct is much cleaner and the air intake has maintained the distinction of the flows intended for brake cooling and aerodynamic blowing although it is of a new design.
The barge board has remained adherent to the 2020 concepts and connects with the upper boomerang to the vertical flow deviators which are two high, the first narrow and the second wider, and reach up to the upper profile of the central wing, but without that form the bridge.
The chassis has remained the homologated one of the C39, with the lateral anti-intrusion cone underneath the radiator mouth that gives shape to the middle profile.
Alfa Romeo Racing C41
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
Airbox with double outlet
The airbox has remained faithful to the creed of the chief designer, Luca Furbatto, who likes not to bring all the radiant masses into the bellies, but keeps part of the cooling system above the endothermic engine. The triangular snorkel feeds the compressor, while the socket just behind it serves to cool some elements of the power unit.
The bonnet has not changed: it has no vertical fin, but only a small backbone that holds the double T-wing. The bellies seem slightly more contained due to the improved efficiency of the Ferrari engine, although the hot air vents in the tail still seem quite generous when compared to the courageous operation of the McLaren MCL35M.
The cut bottom has no flow diverters
The cut bottom is not yet characterized by two flow deviators in the middle of the floor length near the trailing edge which are already provided. In this context, we will see vortex generators appear in the Bahrain tests which for now have been kept hidden.
The gearbox and rear suspension are the same as in 2020: Alfa Romeo has decided not to focus on the new Ferrari gearbox which would have allowed an evolution of the rear, as will happen, instead, on the SF21. Unlike the Haas, which will follow the dictates of the Cavallino, in Sauber they preferred to maintain their own design autonomy.
The rear wing is supported by two large gooseneck pylons which are an emblem of the team: it is evident that with the command of the DRS they perform an aerodynamic function. The side bulkheads have blowouts in the scaled part, while the trailing edge at the bottom is characterized by numerous fringes useful for combing the flows that determine the wake.
The rear rims have bosses and are black to facilitate the heating of the tires.
Alfa Romeo Racing C41
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
Diffuser with shorter fins
The rear diffuser has been designed to work with more expansion in the central part, rather than on the outside, where some efficiency has been lost due to the 40 mm shorter mini fins that protrude less at the bottom from the rear brake duct.
The rear image also shows the single wastegate exhaust located above the main terminal, remaining in line with the dictates of Ferrari.
Alfa Romeo Racing C41
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
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