The French team modified the rear wing opening system, returning to the traditional scheme. Gasly debuted it in Florida, Colapinto will receive it in Montreal. The team will analyze the performance under equal conditions after verifying that the Argentine was faster with the previous version in qual
Alpine took advantage of the April break to introduce new features on its A526: new floor, sidepods and wings were part of the upgrade package that the French team brought to Miami, but there was one update that did not arrive in time for both cars: the rear wing opening system.
The French team decided to modify the mechanism with which the car had been debuted in pre season: The original system, which pushed the wing from below until it was left in an almost horizontal position, was replaced by the traditional scheme, similar to that used with DRS in previous seasons. Raising the flap above the endplates is once again the norm.
The factory could not keep up, only one new rear wing with the modified system was produced, which was fitted to Pierre Gasly's car for the Miami Grand Prix, the mechanics had to carry out the assembly at the Florida circuit itself. Franco Colapinto, for his part, competed with the previous version of the mechanism.
The result was striking, despite having a theoretically older specification, the Argentine put in a better performance than his teammate in the Miami qualifying sessions. Colapinto managed to get into Q3 and finished seventh in the race, while Gasly was involved in an accident on lap 5 that left him out of the race.
Now, Alpine has decided to match the specifications. For the Canadian Grand Prix, which will be held from May 22 to 24 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Colapinto's car will receive the new rear wing update, both drivers will compete, for the first time, with the same opening system.
The decision has a double meaning: on the one hand, it will allow both drivers to compete on equal technical terms, and on the other, it will facilitate the engineers' gathering of information to evaluate the real performance of the new part. If the results are not as expected, Alpine could always return to the original scheme.
The traditional opening system is, for now, the most widely used in the championship. It is used by most of the Mercedes powered teams, including Alpine, Red Bull and Ferrari. In contrast, they have opted for a rotating mobile system for the rear wing opening, a more complex solution but one that could offer aerodynamic advantages.
Alpine arrives in Canada in great form, the French team is fifth in the constructors' championship and leads the midfield. The weekend, in addition, will be frenetic, sprint format, with a single free practice session. Colapinto, who already showed his speed in Miami, hopes to confirm in Montreal that he can fight for points regularly.