Alfa Romeo and Sauber have teamed up to develop the new Giulia GTA, with current drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi test driving the model, further bridging the gap between Formula 1 and road car technology.
Sauber Engineering provided insight into the aerodynamic development of the car before Raikkonen and Giovinazzi assisted with the fine-tuning of the project at the Balocco proving ground. Much has been made of F1 teams trying to create a synergy with road-legal vehicles, with new Renault CEO Luca de Meo pointing to such focus during his announcement of the team’s rebranding to Alpine for next season.
Of course, this isn’t the first instance of road-legal cars taking F1 knowledge on board but significantly, in recent times the focus has largely been on the sport’s hybrid technology innovations. It is intriguing then, that Alfa Romeo has used the Hinwil wind tunnel, renowned as one of the best facilities in the world, to develop the Giulia.
Following his drive, Raikkonen said of the car: “It is definitely better now. It’s more easy to turn into the corners. It’s finding the perfect mix of everyday use and track use.”
In a statement, the team said: “The car underwent extensive testing in Sauber’s wind tunnel, a state-of-the-art facility employed in the design of its Formula One cars, with the aim of improving not only the Giulia GTA and GTAm’s aero devices, but also the completely redesigned and fully-faired underbody.
“The resulting aerodynamic package, alongside the new diffuser, increases the car’s ground effect, guaranteeing excellent grip at high speeds.”
You can watch Raikkonen and Giovinazzi putting the car through its paces here:
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