AlphaTauri has one last “joker” to defeat Williams in Abu Dhabi
AlphaTauri has explained the reasoning behind its major upgrade of the Formula 1 floor for Abu Dhabi, which could be a "joker" to help "chase Williams until the finish line".
AlphaTauri made progress during the last third of the 2023 season, with gradual improvements to the floor reinforced by adopting Red Bull’s RB19 rear suspension from Singapore instead of its own design, thus enhancing the stability of the AT04.
Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda scored 16 out of the 21 points for AlphaTauri during the triple match in Austin-Mexico-Brazil, which saw them rise from the last position to eighth place.
Peter Bayer, CEO of AlphaTauri, has stated that the initial goal of the upgrade in Abu Dhabi, which includes another modification to the floor of the AT04, is a test for the 2024 car. However, he hopes that the team will have a little ace up their sleeve to chase down Williams.
(e) Everyone is motivated to chase Williams until the finish line, and we have a big improvement coming for Abu Dhabi, which, hopefully, will give us the missing tenths to compete for some positions », explains Bayer. (e) The initial strategic goal was set for 2024, but since we find ourselves in this situation now, it is convenient to say that we have another little trick up our sleeve ».
The team’s technical director, Jody Egginton, added that the upgrade is an exercise in Research & Development that is viable due to the regulations for next year, so that all the lessons can be applied to the 2024 car. It’s a stepping stone and it’s about learning for next year. It’s more of an R&D exercise than anything else.
It was something that was planned a long time ago, long before we thought we could fight for a seventh place in the last race of the year, so it’s completely unrelated to that. It’s an R&D exercise.
