Formula 1 News: Alpine squeezing more power from ‘frozen’ engine

(GMM) Alpine will try to squeeze some extra horsepower out of Renault’s Formula 1 engine in 2024.

The outfit tried to convince the FIA last year for special permission within the engine development ‘freeze’ to catch up with its more powerful manufacturer rivals Ferrari, Mercedes and Honda.

The request was denied, and so Renault must now wait until the all-new engine regulations in 2026 to truly catch up.

However, Alpine technical boss Matt Harman admits that the team has done as much as it can within the current rules to improve engine power for 2024.

“The exhaust has now been routed between the pivot points of the rear suspension on the gearbox housing,” he told Germany’s specialist Auto Motor und Sport.

“As a result, the pipe is now straighter, which reduces the back pressure. We also are not cooling the exhaust, which means that the gases have more energy. That should also deliver performance.”

At Enstone, the Alpine team has also rearranged the packaging of the existing power unit components – including the battery being moved further rearwards for better balance.

And designers were also tasked with slashing the weight of the total transmission package.

Harman warned: “Of course you want to stay below the weight limit, but if you save too much, you’re not using the available mass to generate performance.”