Alpine A521 (Technical Thread)

Per Abiteboul on Autohebdo:

-  Plans were caught off guard by COVID in 2020 as it delayed new regulations

- There was a lot of carry over from 2019 to 2020 car despite new aero concept

- So they will be able to do wholesale change to the car for 2021 (Evolution will be as big as in 2020)

- Two of the Tokens will be used around suspensions in order to improve rear end aerodynamics

Don't they only have two tokens?

Don't they only have two tokens?

Yes

Per Abiteboul on Autohebdo:

 

-  Plans were caught off guard by COVID in 2020 as it delayed new regulations

- There was a lot of carry over from 2019 to 2020 car despite new aero concept

- So they will be able to do wholesale change to the car for 2021 (Evolution will be as big as in 2020)

- Two of the Tokens will be used around suspensions in order to improve rear end aerodynamics

It's a bit confusing.

Point number 2 doesn't seem to complement point number 3 in my mind. However, an evolution as big as 2020 is exciting to me! 

Point number 4, My guess is they studied the Mercedes solution and will run a bit of a copy cat design in the placement of the arms.

It's a little disappointing that they have not tried to get some mileage on the new engine.  The new engine sounds promising, but I don't trust easily. If they want to win the title in '22, it will be difficult to come with something so unproven like a new engine concept, let alone the new chassis.

Edited by ARTGP, 04 January 2021 - 23:02.

It's a bit confusing.

 

Point number 2 doesn't seem to complement point number 3 in my mind. However, an evolution as big as 2020 is exciting to me! 

Point number 4, My guess is they studied the Mercedes solution and will run a bit of a copy cat design in the placement of the arms.

 

It's a little disappointing that they have not tried to get some mileage on the new engine.  The new engine sounds promising, but I don't trust easily. If they want to win the title in '22, it will be difficult to come with something so unproven like a new engine concept, let alone the new chassis.

Agree on points 2 and 3!

Not sure what you mean about the engine mileage?  

Agree on points 2 and 3!

 

Not sure what you mean about the engine mileage?  

use the tokens in order to integrate the whole new engine which will arrive for the chassis formula

Abiteboul also admitted that the back end downforce and the floor was still a big weakness for the 2020 car.

What's AXXX? Just a placeholder before they announce their 2021 F1 car name?

Abiteboul also admitted that the back end downforce and the floor was still a big weakness for the 2020 car.

That's actually might turn out good for us. Since rear downforce will be cut down with new floor regulations, other teams (Mercedes) with more sophisticated solutions in that area might suffer more as it will be taken way from them 

Per Abiteboul on Autohebdo:

 

- Two of the Tokens will be used around suspensions in order to improve rear end aerodynamics

I've heard somewhere that the tokens will be used to redesign the cooling system (which in turn would indicate that new engine will be introduced)

What's AXXX? Just a placeholder before they announce their 2021 F1 car name?

just a place order

My guess that the Alpine will be called A510 or A520

Edited by Viryfan, 05 January 2021 - 10:06.

It's a bit confusing.

 

Point number 4, My guess is they studied the Mercedes solution and will run a bit of a copy cat design in the placement of the arms.

 

Careful! I believe there's a bit of history between RP/AMR and Renault/Alpine regarding the use of Mercedes designs .... 

Edited by Chillimeister, 05 January 2021 - 14:33.

https://twitter.com/...2026262528?s=19

Ugh, I already dislike it.

Ugh, I already dislike it.

They will use all black testing livery for sure and introduce the real one only at the 1st race. Tricolor will be (huge) part of it, but definitely not in that way how this clip indicates (whole black car and the tricolor on the engine cover).

They will use all black testing livery for sure and introduce the real one only at the 1st race. Tricolor will be (huge) part of it, but definitely not in that way how this clip indicates (whole black car and the tricolor on the engine cover).

it is not black but a very dark shade of blue

It is not the livery, it is a concept livery.

It's the technical thread, so I don't want to go way off, but when I see Alpine I instantly think of this colour:

https://amklassiek.n...019/07/37.0.jpg

So simple, yet so satisfying...

It's the technical thread, so I don't want to go way off, but when I see Alpine I instantly think of this colour:

And so you should.  That is the colour of Alpine cars.  If they turn out a race car that isn't that colour, they will be spitting on their own legacy.  But I am not hopeful that they won't.

Edited by BRG, 07 January 2021 - 12:59.

And so you should.  That is the colour of Alpine cars.  If they turn out a race car that isn't that colour, they will be spitting on their own legacy.  But I am not hopeful that they won't.

Tell that to Ferrari 

Edited by onewingedangel, 07 January 2021 - 16:46.

Personally I don't like blue in general so I'm already prepared to not like the new team look 

Talk about flat presentation....

That is...

..

..

I dont even.

It's going to be hard to beat the iconic yellow and black 

I just received my 1/43rd Spark Ocon test car, looks great in black.

If they can nail blue like Toro Rosso did a few years ago that will be great but if the Tricolor is the main feature I will be amazed if it looks good.

As i said it is a livery concept.

The visual identity is far from defined as of now for the team.

There are coulours missing in the video.

That HAAS styled A better be much smaller and the blue better be lighter (until fading into a darker strip for the French flag at the end or limiting it to the rear wing endplate)

McLaren better stay away from Chrome/Silver as well!!!

F1 is too drab, it needs more vibrant colours.

The car will be called A521, please moderator change thread name

The livery, if true is awful, like a 1970s tracksuit.
The previous yellow and red made it the best looking car on the grid imo.

It's a testing livery. Nothing to worry too much about.

I like it actually  . A bit harsh on the eyes but I like it.

Edited by ARTGP, 14 January 2021 - 12:49.

The black/yellow was great. This is gonna look like a crap codemasters filler livery, I’m sure.

Actually, in the video, the steering wheel of the car is... a Thrustmaster... Ferrari 

@0:19 https://www.youtube....?v=ys-plew20Is)

Edited by Alburaq, 30 January 2021 - 15:44.

Indeed, Abiteboul said to the french Autohebdo late in december that "they concentrated the use of the tokens around the suspensions in order to unlock aerodynamic performance on the rear axle"

Speculation time!

-Is Renault copying the 2020 Mercedes trick? 

Edited by Alburaq, 31 January 2021 - 15:27.

I think, conceptually, the Mercedes design is superior not just for 2021, but also for 2022.  If Renault were using tokens to make their suspensions changes, I would hope we see a Mercedes inspired solution appear as it carry's over to 2022 also.

Edited by ARTGP, 31 January 2021 - 16:52.

But I dunno if 2 tokens are enough to copy this solution. 

Unless (speculation²) they copy another similar solution, that Williams used in the FW-16, for the upper arms

Just join the front arm to them, and the triangle will become a tuning fork, with only two tokens    and you'll get pole position at Sakhir.

Edited by Alburaq, 31 January 2021 - 17:40.

Renault cars always had an interesting front suspension system, lik Fric and so on. Will it be the case to see something interesting in 2021?

Edited by kumo7, 02 February 2021 - 06:11.

Renault cars always had an interesting front suspension system, lik Fric and so on. Will it be the case to see something interesting in 2021?

I hope not. I want that in 2022. For certain reasons. Mercedes and others would love Renault having it in 2021 so they can copy it for 2022. 

Alonso says he'll use his 2005-6 helmet colors this season. Could that be a little hint re: the shade of blue to be used on this car?

https://www.marca.co...fb038b4571.html

Edited by AustinF1, 03 February 2021 - 09:00.

The shade on the left instead of the one on the right?

Remember when Rosberg and other people said last year that "Renault found something in the windtunnel at the rear of the car" that helped them stabilize it etcetera? I dont think so. The improvement is just the result of a series of modifications they applied from the front of the car to the rear. One of them, the biggest change after the nose, went relatively unnoticed: 

They ditched their heavily undercut sidepods of 2017-2018-2019 for RB-like sidepods (basically displacing the widest part of the undercut backward and adding more overcut). 

The classic shape of the 2017-to-19 sidepods deprived the diffuser of a significant part of this precious flow (blue), contrary to the new bodywork:

 

 

The turkish gp natural flowviz pictures show how this flow is attracted by the low pressure area created by the curvature/hump of the sidepod, just behind the "+GF+" and how it brings this "high energy air to a part of the car that likes high energy air" as described by James Allison (between the coke bottle waist and the rear wheel) 

 

And to maximize the gains and the energy of that flow, there is no shortage of options, what is lacking, are the tokens. 

 

The comparison shows that the 2020 exhausts are a little more compact than the 2019 ones (but the different view angle accentuates the difference in width), probably to facilitate the installation of the aerodynamic "ramp" between the aforementioned blue flow and the red flow : )

You can see how the lower wishbone front arm and the pullrod (Merc made them disappear) stand in the way of the purple flow

 

 

 

 

Edited by Alburaq, 07 February 2021 - 13:30.

Bumping this, as Alpine is revealing their 2021 challenger today.