AlphaTauri says that it is undertaking an “aggressive” development path for the 2023 Formula 1 season.
The Red Bull sister team endured a difficult 2022 campaign, slumping to ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Its 2023 AT04 car conducted a shakedown at Imola earlier this month, before taking to the track once more during pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Throughout the 2022 campaign, its ex-driver Pierre Gasly called on the need for updates the car suffered for pace at many circuits.
Speaking to F1TV in Bahrain, technical director Jody Egginton says that the team is planning a more aggressive approach to upgrades this year.
“In terms of what we’ve set as targets, aerodynamically and reducing car mass etc, we believe we’ve hit the car mass targets,” he said.
“We’re collecting the data now to see where we are aerodynamically.
“Our tools told us we put a chunk of performance onto the car, we’ve just got to correlate and find to what extent is that real, and then define the development directions.
“We’ve got a big package of updates planned for this year. As soon as we know where we are, the development comes into play.
“The plan is to be a lot more aggressive than last year and really push hard to get the car back to where it needs to be.”
The team will utilise a slightly revised line-up for the year ahead, with Nyck de Vries joining alongside Yuki Tsunoda.
Although de Vries is a rookie in F1, the Dutchman boasts a vast motorsport resumé, and worked with several teams during the 2022 season on the sidelines.
Egginton says that AlphaTauri has been tapping into the 28-year-old’s grasp of other outfits in an attempt to gain an understanding of his knowledge.
“Nyck might be considered a rookie in F1 racing terms but in terms of a race driver and a test driver, he’s certainly not a rookie,” he said.
“So it’s been really good for us. We’ve spent a lot of time with him, downloading what he knows, getting his ideas.
“He’s asked an awful lot of questions, he’s pushed the engineers hard, it’s good. It’s a little bit different to normal. It’s really been pleasant and good,
“I think he’s going to push us hard this year. We’ve got high expectations from him. He’s got high expectations of us and he’s clear on what his objectives are.
“It’s all positive so far – one thing is for sure, if he has something to say, he’ll be saying it. It’s good for the team.”
