Jeddah 2022 Pre-Race Thread

We seem to always have to deal with tires issues, wear etc. I would think overall no driver or team is satisfied with one aspect or another related to them. Racing lol..........

Bahrain surface is 'abrasive' and overall the tires appeared to have some durability. I did not hear about a 'cliff' with them yet.

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/why-high-drag-wing-clouds-mercedes-f1-power-doubts/9219334/

Why high drag wing clouds Mercedes F1 power doubts
Mercedes thinks a too-high downforce rear wing it used in Bahrain makes it difficult to judge if its engine has fallen behind in Formula 1's power stakes.


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By: Jonathan Noble
Mar 22, 2022, 7:03 AM
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The German manufacturer endured a challenging season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, with its W13 no match for Ferrari and Red Bull around the Sakhir track.

But as well as struggling to match its rivals in the high-speed corners, the Mercedes was well down in the speed traps too.

And, with Mercedes' customer teams all battling towards the back in the race, it prompted some speculation about Ferrari and Honda having overtaken the German car manufacturer in horsepower terms.

Asked by Autosport about the potency of the Mercedes power unit, team boss Toto Wolff felt it too early to make a firm judgement because of the wing solution that was being run.

"We need to analyse the drag levels first before we really make a judgement of whether we're lacking power," said Wolff.

"I don't think that there's big differences between the power units but clearly Ferrari made a big step forward.

"Last year they weren't totally competitive and, if you look again at the singular event in Bahrain, it looks like they've outperformed everyone else."

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Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT03, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W13

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Mercedes is clear that the rear wing it ran in Bahrain will need to be changed for this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which takes place on the high-speed Jeddah circuit.

And running in more equal drag configurations to Ferrari and Red Bull should at least offer a better insight in to engine power.

 

"And this is the biggest concern. Privately, some drivers were damning about the new Pirellis. F1's tyre supplier was supposed to be designing tyres that were more robust and allowed drivers to run closer to the limit in races for longer and race harder with other cars."

 

There was some press that the circuit was modified in specific places due to safety concerns. Bloody fast it remains LOL

 

https://the-race.com/formula-1/alpine-upgrade-is-first-hint-of-teams-following-ferraris-lead/

Alpine upgrade is first hint of teams following Ferrari’s lead
9 hours ago
By Rosario Giuliana
70 Comments


When Alpine presented itself for the Bahrain Grand Prix, it became the first Formula 1 team to bring a substantial sidepod update since the end of 2022 testing.

The initial design choice on the A522, in regards to the management of the airflow in the sidepods, was to keep rather high bodywork and to then have a downwash in the final part.

It was a very similar choice to that of Red Bull and AlphaTauri, which have very high radiator inlets and bodywork that drops towards the floor towards the rear wheel to bring air into the outer wall of the diffuser.

But the new sidepods Alpine brought for the first race in Bahrain include a modification right at the rear, with a raised edge that looks like it could be inspired by – and is certainly taking the same direction as – the aerodynamic philosophy of the Ferrari F1-75.

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The raised wall indicated by the arrow forms a sliding channel for the flow of air in the part above the sidepods, acting as a barrier so as not to disperse the flow and retain it in the central part.

It is clear that it is not an identical copy of the Ferrari F1-75 design, but it is a first approach that suggests Alpine is trying to take inspiration from the unconventional shape chosen by Ferrari on the 2022 car.

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Is this a first indication that Ferrari’s solution can be copied by the adversaries? Or given the lead times in producing upgrades, that other teams were already coming round to the same conclusions as the team that started 2022 with a 1-2 finish?

It is perhaps too early to tell, but Alpine is certainly the second team after Ferrari to form a ‘gutter’ to channel the air over the sidepods.



Other teams have instead kept the direction of the downwash as in 2021, creating a slide on the bodywork behind the radiators to bring a portion of air that passes over the sidepods above the floor.

Whether the choice made by Ferrari for the bodywork is ultimately the winner on these 2022 cars we will probably find out in 2023.

The complete Ferrari shapes will be difficult to copy in the current season, as the solutions other teams have chosen are too different overall and would require them to change the aerodynamics too much.

The Ferrari shapes are also quite close to the limit with the regulation, which in addition to constraining the volumes also limits the concavities.

The new Alpine sidepods are a sort of hybrid version between Red Bull/AlphaTauri and slightly Ferrari. The new specification brought to Sakhir also included changes in the front of the sidepods, under the radiator inlet. The new shape shows a wider undercut, which seems to collect a greater flow of air above the floor.

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The update brought by Alpine is not something as revolutionary as what was produced by Mercedes, which already had its new project on the way before the start of winter tests.

Alpine may have studied this solution after seeing the Ferrari presentation, and could now be testing the aerodynamic philosophy of the F1-75 on its A522.





The new Alpine sidepods were already brought to Bahrain on Thursday, and first glimpsed during the routine technical checks. But when they broke up on Esteban Ocon’s car in Friday practice, only Fernando Alonso ended up using the new version.

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Alpine has also brought a new floor, to reduce the much-hated porpoising. On the new specification, used by both drivers, an extra slot has been added to take away part of the airflow that creates the aerodynamic stall on the straight, causing the car to bounce. The floor seems different even in the outer wall.

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Given the doubts surrounding the direction of the Alpine team, and a difficult pre-season test at Barcelona in particular, it had a respectable start to the year.

Alonso’s upgraded car was an encouraging eighth in qualifying, though in the race it was Ocon who came through to seventh, two places ahead of his team-mate.



What did you think of th

 

https://the-race.com/formula-1/must-fix-alfa-issue-nearly-ruined-bottass-dream-debut/

Must-fix Alfa issue nearly ruined Bottas’s dream debut
9 hours ago
By Edd Straw
10 Comments


Valtteri Bottas’s sixth place in the Bahrain Grand Prix was a dream result on his Alfa Romeo Formula 1 debut, but a recurring problem with starts almost derailed his race.

Bottas qualified sixth, but dropped to 14th place on the first lap as a consequence of wheelspin off the line.

This was caused by what Bottas described as a “vibration in the clutch” that afflicts the Alfa Romeo C42 on its starts.

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“I just had massive wheelspin and cooked the rear tyres as the wheels were still spinning in third gear,” said Bottas of his launch.

“For the rest of the first lap I was still sliding around quite a lot and being a sitting duck.

“Sometimes, we have this vibration in the clutch. It happened 50% of the time [so far], and when it happens it’s quite easy to break traction.

“So it’s on our job list and we’re working on it.”

 

Excellent point. All 3 of mine were fun and amazing. Should have never sold any of them lol