Alfa Romeo: F1 test for dummies and others

Ahead of tomorrow’s Formula 1 testing in Bahrain, Alfa Romeo has released a hands-on rundown of what both n00b and seasoned fans are all about.

They cover topics like the role their drivers will play over the three days, an overview of the “not-so-new” cars for 2021, and other notable facts ahead of the action.

In particular, Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi will share their duties on Friday in Bahrain. The Italian driver sits in the cockpit all Sunday with his experienced teammate in the C41 on Sunday.

They had to say that:

One of the shortest winter breaks in living memory is about to be made history as Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen prepares to hit the track again this week in the second pre-season test session after the shakedown in Barcelona.

The winter months have probably all rusted a bit, so it’s time to dust the cobwebs and prepare to watch the action thanks to our handy guide to winter testing.

Winter tests: where, when and, above all, how?

Most importantly, there will only be one test session this year, and it will only be three days. We don’t have much time to put our things in order, but we’re all in the same boat. The tests will take place from Friday March 12th to Sunday March 14th at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir. Each team has a car in action on each test day.

Who will be in the car for Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen?

Very good question. Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi will split up the first day of action. Antonio sits in the car on Saturday, while Kimi wears his Sunday best (or rather just the usual combination of suit and helmet) on the last day and ends the procedure. This is a great way to get both drivers up to speed before the first race of the season.

What about Robert Kubica?

Robert was able to spend a day in the car at an earlier test session in Barcelona at the end of February. In this way, the team was able to give him a head start on running in the new C41 – a key factor in correlation in his simulator work – despite the limitations of the reduced testing this year.

Wait, aren’t the cars the same as last year?

Not that easy, cowboy. First of all we have a beautiful new paint job. Second, despite a development halt that halted work in many areas, automobiles have changed in some key ways. New rules meant that some parts had to be redesigned, so a lot of data has to be iterated over to make sure we are fully in tune with the new machine. We also issued two development tokens for some updated parts that need to be assessed. There’s a new Ferrari engine in the back of the car and new Pirelli tires to play with – so a lot of changes that keep our engineers busy all week.

What are the priorities in testing?

As always, but in a more compact time. Reliability will be the key, as no one can afford to waste time with only three days of action before the first official training session of the season. Our engineers will look forward to the data to confirm that the reality is what we expected of the new car. Of course, as with any new car, learning how everything works in terms of setup will be crucial – understanding the quirks of the C41 will be very important in order to give us a solid base for the entire season.

You mentioned tires earlier.

Indeed we have. Pirelli is bringing its new tires, a good 2021 vintage, and understanding how this new iteration of rubber works is a big, big job. The track surface and temperatures in Bahrain should be quite representative of the season – certainly more than in Barcelona in February – so expect tons of data for our eager tire engineers on the track and back in Hinwil.

Testing sounds like fun. Can I see it?

Testing is fun. The entire three days of testing will be broadcast live on a number of channels, including Sky Sports in the UK, Germany and Italy. For the other territories, check out your usual F1 channel – and don’t despair as we’ll be covering all of the social media testing in depth.

… and action!

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– Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN (@alfaromeoracing) February 26, 2021