Former F1 driver and current commentator Marc Surer points out that the increased performance of the Alfa Romeo F1 team in 2022 is partly due to Kimi Raikkonen’s retirement towards the beginning of a new era in F1. ..
2007 F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen has decided to retire at the end of the 2021 season after spending three years with the Alfa Romeo F1 team.
Kimi Raikkonen and the Alfa Romeo F1 team started as a strong combination in 2019, but in the last year they were regularly knocked out in qualifying Q1 and scored only 10 points in four top 10 finishes throughout the season. Performance has dropped.
However, the Alfa Romeo F1 team will be rejuvenated at the start of the new F1 regulation cycle in 2022, with Valtteri Bottas regularly fighting high in the midfield in the first five races of the season. Bottas is currently in 8th place with 30 points in the Drivers’ Championship, and Zhou Guanyu also scored points in his debut race, giving the Alfa Romeo F1 team a total of 31 points.
Marc Surer has the opportunity to replace veteran Kimi Raikkonen with hungry Valtteri Bottas and Antonio Giovinazzi with Zhou Guanyu to renew the driver lineup, boosting the Alfa Romeo F1 team’s coveted boost. I think I gave it.
“You were tired,” Marc Surer said in a Formel1.de podcast.
“I’ve seen it especially when it comes to qualifying and individual laps. Of course, in the race he was still doing well with experience.”
“But in qualifying, you weren’t the one we knew.”
But Marc Surer believes that there are many other things that can be done to improve the Alfa Romeo F1 team, not just the driver changes.
Ferrari’s F1 power unit has made remarkable progress towards 2022, and Scuderia Ferrari has taken the lead in the Constructors’ Championship, making great strides for the customer teams Haas F1 and Alfa Romeo F1.
“The other is the high power of the engine,” explains Marc Surer.
“At about 30 horsepower, it’s equivalent to 0.3 seconds. It’s a gift. Looking at how tight the midfield is, it makes a big difference. 0.3 seconds is a big leap.”
According to Marc Surer, the change from an aerodynamic regulation overbody airflow philosophy to a ground effect effect also played a major role in improving the team.
The Alfa Romeo C42 does not suffer from popping like large teams such as Mercedes and Ferrari, and Marc Surer says the importance of the Swiss team’s cutting-edge wind tunnel should not be underestimated.
“There’s one more thing to keep in mind. There are new regulations, and as you know, Sauber has the best wind tunnel.”
Category: Category: F1 / Alfa Romeo F1 / Kimi Raikkonen