F1 driver Pierre Gasly is targeting a Constructors’ Championship with his team AlphaTauri, saying that he is hoping they pull off what the legendary Brawn GP did in 2009.
Brawn GP needs no introduction to F1 fans. Having come out of nowhere, they found a massive loophole in the 2009 regulations and reacted first and better. They introduced a legendary double diffuse to their cars as part of their strategy, with the innovation smoking the rest of the grid.
With their engineering, they ended up taking a shock Constructors’ Championship win. It was a massive statement from the current Mercedes team back then, and one that taught a lesson to everyone watching – anything was possible in F1.
As a result, Gasly is targeting a Constructors’ Championship with underdogs AlphaTauri, with the 2022 regulations providing a clean slate for every team.
“I’m excited because it’s an opportunity,” the Frenchman told Auto Motor und Sport, as quoted by f1i.com. “For the team and for me.
“At the same time, it would be naive to say it’s just an opportunity for us. Anyone can take a big step forward. I’m aware of that. I know that anything can happen. For better or for worse.
“What I’ve seen of the car so far makes me feel positive. I’m looking forward to the tests in Barcelona. Hopefully, we’ll have a surprise like Brawn GP back then.”
All to play for
“In the simulator, you work with assumptions, what the engineers think the car will be like, how it will behave,” Gasly continued.
“It’s then up to the driver to give clear feedback. Where are the biggest limitations? Where could the most lap time be?
“That gives the engineers a direction to go for. But we’ll have to wait until the car is running in real life. Until then, it’s hard to estimate.
“It’s very different from the last few years. It will be a big factor how fast you move from the first test. How quickly you learn and improve,” he concluded.
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