F1 | Alpine Renault, Pat Fry: “The 2021 single-seaters will change more than expected”

For many, 2021 will be a mere continuation of 2020, given that the regulation has effectively frozen the current single-seaters, awaiting the regulatory revolution of 2022. In fact, to develop the new cars, the teams only have two tokens to spend in a specific area of ​​the car, and only the aerodynamic appearance remains completely free.

From 2021, however, a radical change is expected to the floor of the car in the rear area (in fact literally cut in the area in front of the rear wheels), with the aim of reducing the load generated by the single-seaters by 10%. A change which, combined with the other permitted modifications, should indeed make us admire cars that are different from the current ones, with more room for maneuver for the designers than initially estimated. In short, 2021 may not be that simple transition year that we think.

The technical director of Alpine Renault thinks so, Pat Fry, according to which the changes to the bottom, combined with the other parts that can be updated, will allow for substantially new cars:

“Even if various parts of the car are frozen, there are many other things that can be changed. You can't make a whole new car, but we can certainly make half a whole new one. For example, we are working on what we believe can help us – thus Pat Fry, engineer with a past at Maranello and current technical director at Enstone, as reported by Autosport – Nose, chassis, engine, gearbox, we are reviewing everything a bit and then we believe that the direction taken in terms of aerodynamic development has borne fruit and we want to continue on that route. It must be said that the changes to the fund, which apply to everyone, could have drastic effects. Cutting the rear part of the bottom will have considerable effects; although it appears like a small regulatory change, in reality it will have dramatic effects on the entire aerodynamics of the rear of the car. And it is above all there that the teams will focus and try to do their best. In this, McLaren could have an advantage, they can change more parts on the rear considering that they switch to another power unit supplier."