By Carlo Platella
The development of the power units has now been frozen since 2022, outlining a picture in which Alpine is the last among the engine manufacturers on the grid. During the last championship there were even rumors of a delay from the competition of around 30 horses, enough to push the French company to ask for an exemption for be able to develop your own engine. The request was rejected, but despite this Alpine still managed to squeeze a few more horsepower from its engine, while respecting the limits of the sporting regulations.
More useful power
“The power unit is approved, but that doesn't mean it's entirely frozen”, explains technical director Matt Harman on the occasion of the presentation of the A524. The development block prohibits physically modifying the engine to improve the combustion process, thus preventing the power output from being increased. Alpine's objective, however, is to reduce power losses, so that, for the same horsepower generated, greater thrust power reaches the wheels.
“There were several things we could do to ensure the power unit is housed correctly in the car, making the most of all the work done at Viry-Chatillon. We have done numerous calculations to make sure use all the useful work of the engine”, explains Harman. “The exhaust pipe, for example, passes through the support structure of the rear suspension, around the transmission. All this to straighten it and reduce pressure losses, so that all the engine's work goes to the shaft and from there to the rear wheels.”
The new design of the exhaust terminal is an eloquent example of the work done to reduce losses. Passing through the suspension casing, the duct now has smoother curvatures, reducing resistance to the escape of the exhaust flow. The engine can spend like this less work to pump the gases outtransferring more horsepower to the wheels with the same power released by combustion.
Improved packaging
Another aspect the Enstone and Viry Chatillon departments have highlighted is the cooling efficiency of the engine. Harman explains: “Under the bonnet there is what we call the internal bodywork and which controls the entire air flow, from its entry into the bellies to the exit at the rear. We have optimized the cooling. Now we are in a better position than last yearwith lower resistance.”
Cooling the power unit correctly is essential to put it in a position to express itself at its best and release maximum power. However, cooling requires opening the bodywork in several points, to the detriment of aerodynamic cleanliness and straight-line resistance, requiring a compromise. In this Alpine was among the teams most in difficulty in 2023, pushing the team to rethink the internal fluid dynamics on the 2024 car.
However, the work did not only concern cooling. “We have acted on thermal management”, explains Harman. “For example, we tried not to cool the exhaust. It may seem counterintuitive, but cooling the exhaust gas means depriving it of energy, which we then no longer have at the crankshaft. For this, we tried to use the cooling air only where it is needed”. Alpine has therefore isolated the exhaust terminals to better retain the residual heat in the gases, which can then be used in the turbine both to push the compressor and to recharge the hybrid through the MGU-H. Once again, the French company aims to retain greater thrust power simply by reducing losses, without affecting the combustion process.
Backed battery
The last notable change to the 2024 Alpine power unit concerns the position of the hybrid system battery. Matt Harman explains: “We have moved the battery towards the rear, helping us to redistribute the burdens. It's a considerable mass and moving it in that direction helps us.”. The A524 was thus born with a mechanical balance more shifted towards the rear, considering that the minimum regulatory weight of the accumulator is 20 kg. Overall, Alpine hopes to find more horsepower and performance simply by optimizing the power unit housing in the car, trying to close the power gap without being put off by the development freeze.
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