The F1 Cars Behind Honda’s Glory
Team Ranking Lower as Transition to New-Spec Car Stalls
Frequent lack of grip in corners leads to poor results
Tough season for Yuki Tsunoda in his second F1 year
Expectations were high for AlphaTauri with Yukii Tsunoda in his second year as a full-time Japanese driver and the continued use of Honda power units, but the AT03, which was completely remodeled to meet the new regulations, ended up having numerous problems. Many of these issues remained unaddressed, and 2022 was a disappointing season for AlphaTauri.
While the AT03 used many of the same components as the Red Bull R18, including the rear suspension and gearbox to match the ground-effect floor, AlphaTauri opted for pushrods for the front suspension similar to the previous year. The differences failed to match the far-superior RB18, and the drivers suffered. In particular, the overall downforce was insufficient, and cornering grip, stability, and tire wear were problems. On the other hand, straight line speed was the only weapon that the team had, and Tsunoda set the season’s fastest speed, 360 km/h, on the last lap of Round 14, Belgium. While other teams struggled to overcome bouncing, the AT03 succeeded in quickly updating the car.
In the first year of the ground effects cars, many teams, including AlphaTauri, struggled to reduce car weight. This was one reason for slow qualifying times. Red Bull had the same overweight problem, but was able to overcome the sluggishness with its high aerodynamic performance. AlphaTauri was unable to match Red Bull’s performance in terms of aerodynamics. Lack of grip during the race meant the tires would not hold up well, often costing them positions. The lack of reliability caused many problems, and the updates that were frequently introduced had only sporadic effects and did not lead to fundamental improvements.
Honda continued to treat the power units it supplied equally among the four cars, including the two Red Bulls, and was recognized as the No.1 power unit provider as Red Bull dominated the season. Despite being powered by the most powerful engine, AlphaTauri earned only 35 points, and dropped from sixth last year to ninth in the constructors’ standings.
It was a tough season for Tsunoda, who had the chance to demonstrate his growth in his second year. He struggled with an inconsistent car, and although he finished within the points in three of the first six races, his next points came in Round 19 in the U.S. His best finish came in Round 4, Emilia-Romagna, where he finished 7th. It was also a frustrating season for teammate Pierre Gasly, who finished within the points six times, his best finish being fifth in Round 5, Azerbaijan, but was often penalized with points for frustration with the car, and was in danger of being suspended at the end of the season. Gasly left AlphaTauri at the end of the season, and announced his move to Alpine in 2023, bidding farewell to the team he had raced with for five years including his Toro Rosso days.
AlphaTauri was supplied by Red Bull with a push-rod rear suspension and rear end including gearbox casing, and was able to enter its first year of ground effects car racing efficiently. However, the front section remained push-rod setup as in the previous year, and the car suffered from poor aero efficiency in the front.
At the beginning of the season, the nose design dipped into the center of the front wing, but in the latter half of the season, the nose was placed above the base wing, and the car became slimmer. The front wing shape adopted a boomerang design like that of the Toro Rosso STR14. The front wing under the nose was almost flat against the ground.
The side pontoon openings were square, and the pontoons were lowered toward the rear. The side diffuser design, which channels air from the floor’s front, was also simple, and the amount of downforce generated was apparently low. Straight speed, however, was the fastest among the new generation of F1 cars.
Chassis
| Chassis | AT03 |
| Monocoque | Scuderia AlphaTauri carbon composite monocoque |
| Front suspension | Scuderia AlphaTauri carbon composite wishbone, track-rods and upright assembly, suspension rocker, torsion bar, anti-roll bar |
| Rear suspension | Red Bull Technologies carbon composite wishbone, in-board torsion bar and dampers |
| Brake duct | Scuderia AlphaTauri (front and rear) |
| Steering | Scuderia AlphaTauri oiwer-assisted rack-and-pinion |
| Gearbox | Red Bull Technologies carbon composite main case, longitudinally mounted, 8-speed hydraulic |
| Differential | Hydraulic multi-plate |
| Clutch | Hydraulic carbon multi-plate |
| Exhaust | Red Bull Powertrains (Honda) |
| Brake system | Scuderia AlphaTauri/Red Bull Technologies |
| Driver’s seat | Scuderia AlphaTauri/Red Bull Technologies carbon composite |
| Tires | Pirelli |
| Fuel system | Scuderia AlphaTauri |
| Wheels | BBS standard magnesium wheels |
| Weight | 795㎏ (including driver, excluding fuel) |
Power unit
| Power unit | Red Bull Power Trains RBPTH001 |
| Cylinders | 6 (in accordance with regulations) |
| Displacement | 1,600cc |
| Maximum revs | 15,000rpm |
| Valves | 4 valves per cylinder (2 inlet, 2 outlet) |
| Bank angle | 90 degrees |
| Engine weight | 150㎏ |
| Maximum output | Undisclosed |