AlphaTauri’s 2022 review: back to the bottom of the pack
For its third season in Formula 1, the Faenza-based structure had high ambitions. However, it was unable to find the performance it was looking for, and was at the back of the pack for the entire championship.
The first two seasons of AlphaTauri in Formula 1 were promising. The Italian team finished 6th in 2021. The ambitions of Red Bull’s sister team were therefore significant at the start of this season, which allowed teams to get closer to each other with the new regulations.
Performance of the race car
The AT03 has caused numerous problems for the Italian team this season. Indeed, it was designed without fully considering the Red Bull parts that were going to be incorporated. As a result, the outcome is mixed, as despite a seemingly good design according to the drivers, the excessive leeway given to the design penalizes the behavior and performance of the car.
Throughout the season, the AT03 displayed a weight exceeding the regulatory limit by nearly 13 to 14 kilograms. This proved to be a handicap for qualifying sessions and tire degradation during races. As a result, the team’s performance was not as good as expected, with a final 9th place in the constructors’ championship.
Reliability
The Italian single-seater has not been fickle throughout the 2022 championship with only two retirements due to mechanical issues. Both drivers experienced a retirement each due to their single-seaters. Unfortunately, the performance deficit compared to other teams is so significant that the Italian team will not be able to take advantage of its excellent reliability.
Optimization of the strategy
The Italian team was able to take advantage of the opportunities that arose during the 2022 season. However, they attempted to make risky strategic bets, but these did not lead to excellent results for the team’s drivers (Gasly and the slicks in Singapore being an example).
Teammate duel
Pierre Gasly was competing in his final season with AlphaTauri and was determined to have a superb championship. Yuki Tsunoda was participating in his second season with the Italian team.
In the qualifying sessions, the Japanese driver managed to keep up with his French teammate but ended up finishing behind him in 13 out of the 22 sessions in 2022. In the races, it is also Pierre Gasly who comes out on top against his teammate, as he was able to make the most of his car by scoring 23 points out of the team’s total of 37.
