Only three of the ten Formula 1 teams have brought updates to Qatar – But already in Austin in a fortnight there should be considerably more new parts
You won’t find any new parts for the top Formula 1 teams this weekend. Only Alpine, Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri have brought updates for their cars to the Qatar Grand Prix.
One of the reasons for this is probably the sprint format this weekend, with only one 60-minute practice session on Friday before qualifying in the evening. So there is hardly any time to test new parts.
And the innovations of the three teams mentioned are also manageable. Alfa Romeo, for example, only has a revised beam wing and the end plate of the rear wing has been slightly adjusted.
According to the team, these changes are another part of the larger package that the Sauber squad had recently brought for the C43. At AlphaTauri there is also only one change, here the edge of the underbody has been modified.
Like Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri had previously brought a larger package for the car in Singapore. Team boss Franz Tost reveals on Sky: “We made a jump. I was expecting a huge jump, but it wasn’t that huge.”
“After all, after we were not [competitive] at the beginning of the season, we said we are now really concentrating 100 per cent on the further development, because we want to know if the new team that we have built up in the aero department is also going in the right direction,” Tost reveals.
A lot more updates again in Austin
“And the way it seems to be for now, they are following a philosophy that works. And that’s actually the most important thing for us, to find out that all these innovations we’re putting on the car are working,” the Austrian explains with satisfaction.
In Singapore, Liam Lawson finished ninth with the new parts and thus directly achieved the best result of the season so far for AlphaTauri. However, Tost also admits: “They work halfway, but I expected more. But let’s wait and see what’s here.”
That leaves Alpine, where the underbody, rear brake drum and air vents have been revised. However: in the case of the latter two updates, Alpine already announced that they were merely test parts that were only used in FT1.
The cooling system, for example, was already being tested for the Mexican Grand Prix, according to Alpine. There should be considerably more updates at the coming race in Austin. There, too, a sprint will take place, but at least the teams already know the track.
In Qatar, on the other hand, the current generation of Formula 1 cars will be used for the first time since 2021. In addition, the track has been significantly reworked since 2021. In Austin, Haas, for example, will then bring a major update for the VF-23.
AlphaTauri and Aston Martin announce new parts
And Franz Tost also reveals, “We’ll bring a new underbody to Austin then as well, we’ll see how it goes there. And we also have to attack. When you’re in last place in the constructors’ championship, it’s not like you can just accept that.”
“And I hope that all these innovations will help and we will move forward,” said the AlphaTauri team boss. “We’re going to bring another upgrade for Texas,” Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack meanwhile also revealed to Sky.
“We’re hoping that [it] will get us back on track, that we can at least reverse the trend. That’s very important, I think, also for motivation and also for morale going into the winter season,” he stressed.
While AlphaTauri is still looking to move out of last place in the championship with the upcoming updates, Aston Martin is looking to defend fourth place in the championship against McLaren. “We’re not just going to admit defeat now. It will be tough until the very end,” said Krack.
“I’ve said it again and again: we have to give 100 per cent in all sessions, we have to be reliable, only then do we have a chance to fight there. But we will give everything until the last lap,” emphasises the Aston Martin team boss.
