Alfa Romeo is paying 'the price of building an extremely light car' in 2022 F1 season
Alfa Romeo appears to be paying the price of building an extremely light car at the start of the 2022 F1 season. This is the view of the Swiss team's boss Frederic Vasseur.
In a report carried by German publication Auto Motor und Sport, Vasseur spoke about why the team appears to have dropped back in terms of performance in the last few races. The Hinwil-based outfit has not scored any points in the last four races, despite showing potential early in the season.
Vasseur was quoted as saying that the team was paying the price of having a light car at the start of the season, something that was an advantage then but isn't anymore with the competition slimming down more and more. The report stated:
“But Vasseur also admits: ‘Maybe some damage is the price for having built an extremely light car.’ The weight was still a joker at the beginning of the season. Less and less now. The competition is slimming down more and more. Alpine, McLaren, and Haas are now less than three kilograms above the minimum weight. Aston Martin is at the limit.”
Valtteri’s race comes to an early end with a technical issue - a disappointing conclusion to his day 😢
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Another issue that Alfa Romeo has faced this season is the lack of reliability. The team has 6 DNFs so far, with Hungary being the latest addition. Valtteri Bottas, already running outside of points, suffered a mechanical failure and was out of the race with a few laps left.
According to the report, Alfa Romeo appears to be struggling with faulty products from one supplier or the other far too many times. It further stated:
“Bottas once again did not see the checkered flag. Like in Jeddah and Silverstone. Just like colleague [Guanyu] Zhou in Miami, Barcelona, Baku, and Paul Ricard. ‘Reliability is a weak point,’ admits Bottas. His boss sees it that way too. Not everything is the responsibility of the team. The drive unit is involved and also one or the other supplier.”
Alfa Romeo's next major upgrade could be in Suzuka or Austin
Despite its issues, Alfa Romeo is not taking the foot off the throttle. The team brought a new underbody to Hungary that was designed to reduce the car's instability in fast corners. The next big upgrade is planned for Monza and the final push for the team could be coming in Austin or Suzuka, according to team principal Frederic Vasseur.
The 54-year-old said:
“A new underbody arrived in Hungary. It is designed to reduce the car’s instability in fast corners. ‘We have the next upgrade in Monza. And then something bigger is planned for Suzuka. But it could also be Austin,’ warns Vasseur. That will be an anticipation of the 2023 car, which has been the subject of hard work since the beginning of July.”
Zhou crosses the line in P13 - bringing our race to a close.
No points today, but a summer break to regroup ahead of the final three European races of the season.
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The team still stands firm in P6 in the constructors' championship but has lost some momentum in the last few races. The Hinwil-based squad will be hoping to regain the momentum and start scoring points again this season.