F1 News

Scarborough puts Alfa Romeo C43 under the microscope: 'Looks interesting'

Scarborough puts Alfa Romeo C43 under the microscope: 'Looks interesting'

11-02-2023 19:33 Last update: 20:36

GPblog.com

The F1 cars are unveiled and before they are really tested during the winter test days in Bahrain, teams have the opportunity to drive a hundred kilometres and shoot some footage of the new cars. F1 tech expert Craig Scarborough analyses the first images of Alfa Romeo's C43.

C43 under Scarborough's microscope

The new 2023 car of Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou has already completed 100 kilometres. And while footage from the filming day is not yet available, the team did share some photos and videos where the first details of the new C43 can be viewed. Scarborough highlights three images from and around Zhou's cockpit and mentions some standouts.

What Scarborough seems to notice the most is the side of the cockpit that steps up instead of moving gradually. Indeed, at first glance, one would expect a better aerodynamic effect with a gradual gradient. In addition, the tech expert notes that the mirrors have widened and the steering wheel actually seems to be a lot narrower. The clutch grips, on the other hand, seem very large.

Safety in 2023 slightly improved again

Scarborough also mentions the so-called 'lifting eye' that can be seen in the picture. The same driver (Zhou) went through a dangerous accident last year after a heavy crash at the start of the race at Silverstone. The 'roll hoop' turned out not to be strong enough and the FIA therefore instituted a rule change for stronger roll hoops for the 2023 cars. The arrow to 'lifting eye' in the image points to the reinforced (head)protection. What exactly has been reinforced is not visible on the picture.

The last thing that catches the analyst's eye is the 'overtake button' that sits at the back of the steering wheel. The button bears the abbreviation OT. Scarborough jokingly wonders why it is marked with letters. After all, the driver cannot see the back of his own steering wheel.