The biggest obstacle that the Alfa Romeo C43 will have to face will be represented by what the single-seater that preceded it managed to conquer. Despite a dwindling second half of 2022, the backlash in the Brazilian Grand Prix ensured Alfa Romeo had the points it needed to secure sixth place in the Constructors’ standings, an important milestone considering the team came from ninth position of the year previous.
In Hinwil there have been many changes in recent months, from the change of ownership to the departure of Frederic Vasseur, but despite these great maneuvers, the team continues in the name of continuity.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Alfa Romeo Team Representative
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
The drivers, the technical staff were confirmed, and Vasseur’s departure was also managed with a new purchase (Andreas Seidl) and an internal promotion, Alessandro Alunni Bravi, who will in fact be the team principal on the racing fields. All to ensure that continuity which is the basis of the team’s guidelines.
Jan Monchaux, technical director of Alfa Romeo
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
The technical director, Jan Monchaux, described the C43 as the final result of the 2022 project corrected in what have been the problems that have emerged during the year. “We must aim for great reliability”, underlined the French engineer, and in fact in 2022 the main problem for Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou were withdrawals due to technical problems, many of which were due to the Ferrari power unit, but not only . Then, of course, there will also be the performance. “I hope it’s faster than last year’s car,” added Monchaux, and these are not random words.
Alfa Romeo C43
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
The C43 will undoubtedly be faster than the single-seater that preceded it, but what keeps the technicians on their toes the most is the comparison with the competition, and in particular with Aston Martin, the team that Alfa Romeo has managed to put behind it last year in the Constructors’ championship.
The goal is obviously also to get closer to the Alpine-McLaren tandem, but it is above all the confrontation with Aston Martin that will be most felt and which will be an important step for the balance sheet at the end of the championship.
Waiting to see the C43 on the track in a few days in Barcelona (track where the filming day took place) the color of the car shown today in Hinwil was striking. “Alunni Bravi” underlined “Rosso Alfa Romeo”, but there are those who immediately noticed that the combination with black (which replaces the white seen until 2022) forms precisely the combination chosen by Audi on many of its sports cars , including the show car used at the time the Formula 1 program was presented.
Alfa Romeo C43 detail
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
Sauber is in fact an open construction site. We work on the present, but everything takes on meaning also from the point of view of a future that promises to be important, probably as it was not even in the days of BMW.
Seidl attended the launch of the C43 without however speaking, and it is no coincidence. While on track the team will try to maintain last year’s results, Seidl will be the man who will plan the future, the bridge between Hinwil and Audi.
Alfa Romeo CEO, Learned at the presentation of the C43
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
On the other hand, those who absolutely do not want to hear about the future are Alfa Romeo, which is still the title sponsor of the team until the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi. It’s not a new situation (since last week the names of Honda and Ford have intertwined even in Red Bull) but it is understandable that the Italian manufacturer rightly wants to make the most of this last year of partnership which allows it to be in Formula 1. For Alfa Romeo the future is elsewhere.
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