The second Red Bull F1 team AlphaTauri presented their new F1 car for 2021 named AT02 which is the last car that will officially use Honda engines and thus became the second team behind McLaren to present the car for the new season.
The seventh-ranked team of last year’s championship, called Toro Rosso from 2006 to the end of 2019, had a good last season in which they managed to win at Monza with Pierre Gasly making their first F1 win since 2008.
After returning from Red Bull, Gasly drove fantastically and outclassed Kvyat, and the team threatened Ferrari in one part of the season in the fight for sixth place in the constructors’ standings.
AlphaTauri kept Gasly for 2021 and brought in Japanese Formula 1 debutant Yuki Tsunoda instead of Kvyat, who finished third in Formula 2 last year, also as a debutant.
The new AT02 uses the same chassis as last year’s AT01 and all permitted components from last year’s Red Bull RB16 to reduce costs, with the biggest changes related to aerodynamics and new rules around floor, brake ducts and diffuser strakes.
Although according to the rules they were allowed to get the Red Bull rear suspension from 2020 without spending development tokens, AlphaTauri opted for a solution they know well and continue to use the Red Bull rear suspension from 2019.
AlphaTauri has spent two development tokens on a new nose that requires a new front crash structure, and a new one is the shape of the airbox above the driver’s head that is wider in its upper part.
Technical director Jody Egginton explained the main changes to the new car.
“The work we’ve done developing a new car for 2021 goes far beyond meeting the rules,” he said.
“It involves changes to almost all aero surfaces, but also the development and repackaging of large parts of the car that are hidden to achieve those changes.”
“We spent a lot of time working on restoring lost aero performance due to rule changes, but also increasing and improving the car’s operating aero range.”
2021 CAR LAUNCHES
| McLaren | |
| AlphaTauri | |
| Alfa Romeo |
22 Feb |
| Alpine |
2 Mar |
| Mercedes |
2 Mar |
| Aston Martin |
3 Mar |
| Williams |
5 Mar |
| Ferrari |
10 Mar |
