Source: REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
[Saba Sports News] During the 2024 F1 Australian Grand Prix, the Alfa
Romeo Team introduced their first car upgrade of the season, featuring a new
nose wing. However, the outcome was far from ideal. In qualifying Q1, at Turn
10, Zhou Guanyu’s car experienced a high-speed incident where the entire front
wing fender detached, resulting in a loss of speed and his retirement from Q1.
As a result of replacing the front wing and nose cone with different versions
and adjusting the car’s settings, the FIA ruled that Zhou Guanyu would have to
start the race from the pit area. This indicates a complete failure of the car
upgrade for the Alfa Romeo Team in this particular race. Following the
qualifying session, Zhou Guanyu expressed his dissatisfaction with the team’s
upgrade, stating that the advantages brought by the new components were minimal
but still better than nothing. According to data, the primary purpose of the
new nose wing was to enhance the car’s balance in both low-speed and high-speed
corners, thereby enabling Zhou Guanyu to achieve more consistent lap times.
However, since this upgrade lacked real-world testing and validation, it
ultimately resulted in setbacks during the qualifying session. Some fans
suggested that the Alfa Romeo team should continue adjusting and striving to
find the optimal solution for the new nose wing. Nonetheless, having new parts
available is seen as a positive development compared to being stuck with
outdated components.