Pat Fry is a seasoned technician, used to being very pragmatic. The British engineer (formerly McLaren, Ferrari and Manor) is not used to jumping into the void, always looking for interesting but not extreme solutions.
The Alpine A522, which was shown on Monday afternoon, is the practical representation of this concept. The single-seater conceived at Enstone is perhaps, among all those presented so far, the most compact in terms of wheelbase, even if it would be improper to define it as having a short wheelbase.
Alpine A522: has the shortest wheelbase
Alpine A522
Photo by: Alpine
It certainly does not reach the maximum 3,600 mm of wheelbase granted by the rules for two valid reasons: first – it tried to contain the weight (there are few F1 2022s that reach a minimum of 795 kg); and second – it has focused on a very flexible project that can adapt to any development possibility in both short and long versions.
On a chromatic level, the arrival of BWT as title sponsor did not destroy the beautiful blue livery we were used to for the Alpine: the addition of pink and white certainly does not hurt, even if the opening GP in Bahrain and the race of Jeddah will be disputed with the pink livery in honor of the sponsor BWT which was shown in Paris.
Alpine A522 in the pink livery with which it will race the first two 2022 GPs
Photo by: Alpine
Alpine A522: compressor separated from the turbo
Alpine A522
Photo by: Alpine
The car built in Enstone benefits from the new Renault engine that has split the supercharger from the turbo, choosing a supercharging configuration similar to Mercedes and Honda.
The compressor is mounted on the body side, while the turbo has remained close to the gearbox: this change has allowed greater integration between the chassis and the power unit, with a revolutionized packaging that has reduced the dimensions of the bonnet compared to that of last year, very little aerodynamically efficient. The airbox of the engine, on the other hand, is of Mercedes concept with three lobes, even if the external design is almost square with rounded edges.
Alpine A522: anteater snout
Alpine A522
Photo by: Alpine
The A522 is a very sensible single-seater, perhaps without fancy flights, but very concrete. The nose is anteater-shaped: it curves downwards and protrudes slightly from the second flap, while the main profile shows a slight spoon in the central part: as on the Ferrari and Mercedes, the rope of the four elements is reduced as you climb the ramp flaps. On the edge closest to the trapezoid-shaped side bulkhead, you can see the channel which is useful for conveying the air outside the front wheel. On the outside of the band there is the now usual bib with the S shape.
Alpine A522: front push
Alpine A522
Photo by: Alpine
The front suspension has maintained the push rod scheme: the most relevant aspect is that the upper triangle is rather inclined backwards, confirming the thesis of the slightly shorter wheelbase, while the steering arm is slightly more advanced and placed slightly more in low to generate the blowing that everyone is looking for. The two triangles are further apart than other single-seaters.
Alpine A522: a mix of ideas in the bellies
Alpine A522
Photo by: Alpine
The mouth of the bellies is positioned high, as the side reaches the waistline of the passenger compartment: it is similar in design to that of the Ferrari but the pink color makes it look like lips with lipstick. Above the bellies there are gills to extract the hot air from the radiators, but the ramp that goes down to the bottom is longer and more conspicuous than what has already been seen on the AlphaTauri AT03.
Under the side there is no real double bottom, but the air that is conveyed under the radiator intake and above the Venturi duct is directed downwards to be pushed outside the rear wheel.
Alpine A522: two rows of gills
Alpine A522
Photo by: Alpine
Behind the attachment of the Halo to the chassis there is the continuation of the body width of the passenger compartment that extends up to the rear suspension: in the curvilinear edge there are eight other branches useful for dissipating the heat of the radiant masses that are still above. to the Renault engine. If the root of the bonnet is quite generous in size, the same cannot be said of the upper part of the engine cover which has only a hint of vertical drift in the tail.
Alpine A522: behind it is pull
Alpine A522
Photo by: Alpine
The rear suspension is completely redesigned, although the pull rod pattern has been maintained: the lower triangle is very open towards the engine, while the upper one is narrower. The tie rod pivots to the gearbox as if the rear kinematics were placed beyond the gearbox.
The Alpine has been converted to a single pylon as a support for the rear wing: the gooseneck also allows the DRS control to be integrated into the design. The rear wing shows a flat main profile, surmounted by a movable flap equipped with a nolder.
Will the A522 be able to give another victory to the Enstone team after the lucky one won by Esteban Ocon in the Hungarian GP? The pre-season tests in Barcelona will have to clarify what the ambitions of the transalpine brand will be, which is called out of the fight for the world championship, but aims to improve its fifth place in the Constructors’ classification …
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