A complicated clutch to use this season more than before
For his debut with Alfa Romeo, the Finn Valtteri Bottas had opened up about the issues encountered by the C-42 at the start. And apparently, he is not the only one in this situation.
During the first races of the season, the Swiss Alfa Romeo team has been struggling with starting issues. While some of them have been resolved over the course of the kilometers, others persist. For example, the vibrations at the clutch level are still noticeable, which is why Valtteri Bottas quickly dropped down in the standings in Bahrain despite starting in sixth position on the grid.
For Jan Monchaux, technical director of the team, this problem is due to various factors and is not so easy to solve. “It seems that many teams, apart from two or three, have to deal with an oscillating transmission at startup,” explains Monchaux. “We are not the only ones. When the cars are one behind the other and you look at them, you can see that they all shake a little.”
« According to my point of view, it’s something that won’t be resolved anytime soon […], because it’s a question of rigidity, weight, clutch position, new tires, or a heavier car,” the technical director continued. « For now, it’s a bit early, and personally, I haven’t gone all the way yet. But there are ways to deal with it. We have been able to make decent starts, even with the oscillations, and the driver just needs to be a bit more careful with the throttle and clutch than usual,” he said.
So far, Alfa Romeo has performed well in qualifying, with Bottas reaching Q3 in both races. Furthermore, the team is among those closest to the minimum weight, a considerable advantage according to Monchaux.
« I can’t speak for others, but I’ve heard many people complain about weight. » he developed. « We don’t have that problem at the moment and it obviously helps us because weight slows you down. It also somehow helps us in tire management. ».
Furthermore, Jan Monchaux highlights other advantages that the team has. Not having to deal with the weight issue allows Alfa Romeo to focus more on the performance of the cars, while also pointing out that the team doesn’t have to spend a fortune to remove a few precious kilos.
