Compliance and subtle changes made in this year’s version of the Challenger.
Warsaw, Poland—Several Formula 1 teams didn’t introduce major changes for the upcoming season, and Alfa Romeo is a prime example. That conclusion was visible on Monday when the Swiss-owned unit launched its latest Challenger–the C41–in this Eastern European city.
As expected, the Italian car manufacturer retains the main sponsorship of Peter Sauber’s team, along with Polish energy group Orlen, which is back for their second season as the sponsor.
And for the third season in a row, Kimi Raikkonen will be returning for the team as well as Italian Antonio Giovinazzi, who improved his results late last season.
Nearly everything on the C41 is the same as it was in 2020. “Our 2021 car shares a lot of common parts with [last year’s] C39, except those which the regulations forced us to change — such as the floor — and the nosecone, in which we invested our two development tokens,” said Jan Monchaux, Alfa Romeo’s technical director. “This means we will know the car much better than usual when we get to testing, but it’s still going to be crucial to make the most of those three days to verify that reality matches our expectations and to get to know the new tires. We are ready for the new season, and we can’t wait to see our new car on the track.”
The C41 (The C named after Sauber’s wife, Christianne) will run a private trial later this week at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, before heading to Bahrain pre-season testing in a couple of weeks.
