Alfa Romeo Racing, owned by Sauber, has become the first Formula 1 team to unveil its new car for the 2023 season. The team’s latest offering, the C43, is expected to undergo several changes before it takes to the track. The main architecture, however, has been revealed, and fans are eager to see how the car will perform.
Sauber, which operates Alfa Romeo Racing, is set to fully merge into an Audi F1 team. The 2023 season is a crucial one for the team, as it needs to prove its worth to justify the significant investment from Audi. The German automaker now owns 25% of Sauber and has made a significant initial investment that will enable the team to work up to the cost-cap level.
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Furthermore, as Audi will not fully take over until the new power unit rules come into effect in 2026, the team will have three years to invest in its facility and bring it up to date. This will ensure that Alfa Romeo Racing is equipped to take on the competition and achieve success in the years to come.
Technical Details of what we Saw
At the Front Wing, Sauber’s flow-conditioning philosophy involves a full-width slot gap between the first and second element of the car, leading to improved consistency of airflow to the underside of the nose and underfloor. The uniform flap loading across the span enhances the flow consistency and reduces the chance of crossflow interfering with the airflow.
Sauber has chosen a radiator inlet similar to Ferrari’s design to improve its performance at high speed. This design allows excess flow to be redirected from the outer corner and down the sidepod, avoiding any disruption to the underfloor. The radiator inlet is not as pronounced as last year’s Ferrari design, but is instead more smoothly integrated, similar to last year’s Red Bull. The team has identified high-speed performance as an area that needs improvement from last season.
The sidepods are relatively simple in that the upper surface and the side surface sweep downwards and inwards. There’s no dramatic change of shape, however there does seem to be a little bit of a disconnect just behind the halo and before the red paintwork on the engine cover starts. It looks like this was a change of philosophy when it discovered that using a letterbox-style higher rear radiator exit was an improvement. This may have had to be adapted to the chassis lines, which Sauber had probably committed to by that time.
Sauber has made slight changes to the upper and side surfaces of its car, sweeping them downwards and inwards. There is a slight disconnect noticed behind the halo and before the engine cover starts, possibly due to a shift in philosophy towards a letterbox-style higher rear radiator exit for better performance. This change may have had to be incorporated into the pre-existing chassis design.
The pictures and renders of Sauber’s new car suggest that the rear suspension system is pullrod. It appears that the team has opted for pullrod, as it opens up the radiator outlet area and fits better with the design concept. The change in suspension may have been a result of the late addition of the letterbox cooling exit, which required changes in the flow lines of the engine cover.
