Alfa Romeo prefer the "challenge" of a fresh set of Formula 1 technical regulations to the small tweaks that are in place for 2023, according to their technical director. Drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu were able to capitalise on a strong C42 package at the beginning of the new ground effects era in 2022, scoring big points as others scrambled to understand their package. The team gradually fell back in the order, but still finished in sixth place and ahead of Aston Martin on countback with both on 55 points. Rather than the complete revolution of 2022, by comparison the '23 regulations only require minor tweaks, especially to the floor to combat porpoising. However, Jan Monchaux believes the complete overhauling of the car gives the team more chance to shine as the smaller changes favour bigger squads.
Alfa's blank sheet of paper
"Effectively as a small team, we like to see the challenge of a blank sheet of paper," Monchaux explained when questioned by RacingNews365.com during the launch of the 2023 C43 machine. "We showed last year in a limited amount of time that we were capable of doing things that were not too bad, which means it is what we prefer. "But for your blood pressure and stress level, it is not the nicest because there's so many unknowns, and up until you see what your competitors have been doing, you are extremely nervous to potentially have gone the complete wrong way. "The drawback of [small tweaks] is that it is just a continuous evolution. "At some point, it also comes to the experience of the teams, the size of the teams and the resources that you have which play a role. "That is an area where we are a little bit less comfortable than some of the big teams around us, so if I could choose I would like to be restarting from scratch regularly, but then financially and for my blood pressure and hair, it is not nice, so every three or four years is okay."
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