AlphaTauri's 2021 car: These are the areas where the AT02 needs to improve

The AT02 will be unveiled on Friday morning at 08:00, AlphaTauri has recently announced. The team of Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda finished seventh in the Constructors' Championship last season, but they hope to make the final step towards the top-five this year. The successor to the AT01 will need to be improved in a number of ways.

AlphaTauri's performance last year was fairly consistent, but consistently just not good enough. Sure, there was a highlight with Pierre Gasly's victory at Monza, but for 2021 the Faenza-based outfit will need to come up with a better package overall if it is to challenge rivals such as Aston Martin, McLaren and perhaps Ferrari. 

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is to find more mechanical grip. Looking at the Turkish Grand Prix last season, for example, AlphaTauri's balance on the track was far from perfect. But what exactly is mechanical grip? That comes from the tyres, and the way they work together with the chassis.

How are the tokens deployed?

Each team has two tokens that can be used to improve the car in the run up to a new season. So there is not unlimited development in every area. AlphaTauri has decided to focus on the front end of the 2021 car. According to the team, this is where things ran least smoothly in 2020.

The nose is likely to undergo the biggest transformation. According to the latest reports, the team is working on a thinner nose. Mercedes has been quite successful with this in recent years and that concept seems to be followed for 2021. The rear, transmission and rear suspension will remain the same as in 2020. So there will be no or little time gain here next season. 

Free upgrades for AlphaTauri

Through a loophole in the law, AlphaTauri are allowed to upgrade the parts they bought from Red Bull Racing last year to this year's latest version for free. All parts purchased from Red Bull in 2020 can therefore be replaced by 2021 parts without the use of tokens. AlphaTauri has a good advantage on competitor and factory team Renault. It is unclear which parts will be replaced exactly.

This is also an important indication of how Red Bull Racing will use the tokens. If Red Bull had decided to put its tokens in the rear of the RB16B, AlphaTauri could have benefited from this for free. However, Tost has confirmed that his new rear end will be the same as the AT01 and so Red Bull will have put their focus elsewhere this winter.

Aerodynamic improvements

In terms of aerodynamic improvements, there are unlimited changes that can be made. Performance in 2021 will also depend a lot on how AlphaTauri deal with the changes to the floor. In fact, that is the only major change in the regulations. AlphaTauri will also make small changes to the bonnet, side pods and rear wing.

All these changes should ensure that a very strong AT02 will be on the grid at the season opener on 28 March.

Honda engine in 2021

The Honda power unit will also have to deliver a little more if AlphaTauri wants to be a structural player in the top-ten. Grid penalties due to broken engine components should be avoided in any case, but at the same time extra horsepower will have to be found.

Ferrari seems to have made a huge step forward with the new engine and McLaren has switched to the strongest power sources in the field, with Mercedes. So the competition is all but at a standstill and Honda will have to catch up in its last year in Formula 1. The difference with the Mercedes engines would be around 20hp.