Understanding Alpine’s Inspired Side Pod Upgrade at the Azerbaijan GP

Alpine has arrived at Azerbaijan with the hope of improving their results. While the Monaco GP saw solid performances by both Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, they will look to carry this momentum to Baku. And to do this, they have changed a part of their side-pod.

In an effort to improve the car’s performance, the team made several subtle modifications, especially to the side-pods. There is now a more square-shaped opening in the side-pod’s inlets with its outer edge closer to the chassis’ sides.

As you may know, teams equip the F1 car with multiple cooling systems, with one of them being in the side-pods. As they have added an extension, it is believed that this will improve cooling. However, according to the race, these new openings in the side-pods have little to do with cooling.

Alpine’s previous side-pod inlet had a similar opening size. Hence, the use of these changes offers more downforce and reduces drag. Interestingly, this new aerodynamic change also resembles the early-season Aston Martin side-pods.

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Because of the fast nature of this track, the French team’s modification can adapt to the air spills when it is difficult for the radiator to manage the flow of air at high speeds. This will also help the airflow in the lower area of the side-pod, therefore benefitting the floor with better downforce. So, it will be interesting to see how the car performs in Baku.

Fernando Alonso opens up on the troubles for Alpine

The circuit in Baku is known for its high-speed and long straights. As a result, teams could struggle with heavy porpoising and bouncing in those straights. Although Alpine has not suffered from this issue compared to the rest, Alonso is wary of its effect in Azerbaijan.

He said, “I’m a little bit looking forward to see how these cars perform in Baku, especially the bouncing effect on the straights. Here it could be quite extreme, and we are a little bit concerned about this as I think is everybody.”

READ MORE: Azerbaijan Grand Prix: How Long is the F1 Straight at Baku?

With new upgrades being introduced to the A522, Alpine will look to compete with the likes of McLaren and Mercedes. They are currently sitting 6th behind Alfa Romeo and will hope the drivers can extract more from the car.

Where do you expect them to finish in Baku? Let us know in the comments.