(Motorsports news) According to Harman, Alpine is aware of what made Red Bull’s vehicle so competitive in 2023 and also knows what makes other cars quick. He is adamant, nevertheless, that this information should only serve as motivation for the team’s own course because it needs to improve significantly after placing just sixth in the constructors’ championship. Regarding the RB19, he stated, “We think we’ve understood it quite well.”
“We believe we know what they’re doing. You can’t merely picture it over night by clicking your fingers. We know where we’re going. However, I believe Alpin ehave also come to understand a few of the other vehicles on the grid. “There are a few other amazing automobiles with some truly intriguing advances there as well. Additionally, it involves making an effort to comprehend both what you and they are doing. Alpine will never get ahead of them if we merely follow them in the end.
Alpine really should live by the maxim, in my opinion, that we should be inspired by these individuals while yet making our own decisions.” The fact that all teams must build vehicles that will serve as the foundation for their 2025 competitors presents an additional hurdle for them going into the season. This is due to the fact that the brand-new regulations for 2026 will take up all of the resources for financial and aerodynamic testing as they develop.
Although there are no restrictions on mechanical work, teams cannot begin aero testing for 2026 until the beginning of the next year. “It’s crucial, in my opinion, to look past the cars you see around you,” Harman stated. “If Alpine show up in 2025 driving an automobile that people see today, it will be really antiquated. It’s critical to draw inspiration from what you observe. However, in order to give ourselves that two-year window, we must aim much beyond that.”
Harman acknowledged that the Alpine’s inability to pursue certain planned advances over the previous season was due to the A523’s basic architecture. Rather, it has held them over until the 2024 automobile, which is built to accommodate them. “We’ve had some volume issues with the chassis and what we refer to as the suspension carrier, or the main case,” he stated.
It was somewhat restricting us, not just because of what other cars have in terms of intellectual property, but also because of our own concepts and advancements. “We planned to implement a floor update later in the season, but ultimately we decided against it. Instead, we built that performance into the car for the next year. Simply because we needed a little bit more volume in there for that car in order to get the best performance out of it.”
Harman maintained that there were some genuinely good aspects of the A523 that could be improved: “I think there’s some really nice things on our car.” Here’s where we’re attempting to maintain our humility. We’d prefer to discuss what we need to improve on rather than what we believe to be our strong points because we know we’re not quite where we want to be. “Rather than brag about what we think we might have done well at, I’d rather just concentrate on what we need to do better, to be honest!”
Also read: Horner: The Red Bull Formula One team changed to maximize Newey’s potential
