https://f1i.auto-moto.com/magazine/maga ... formule-1/
Building a Formula 1 chassis requires fourteen months of work, from the first drafts to the running during the winter tests in Barcelona. In three episodes, each articulated around a question (“When?”, “How?” And “Who?”), We lift a corner of the veil on the making of an F1, together with Jody Egginton, the director technique by Toro Rosso.
IN JANUARY, IN FAENZA…
To build and assemble the fifteen thousand parts of a Formula 1 car, it takes more than a year between the first studies and the finished product, 150,000 hours of work and 19,000 CAD drawings . It all depends of course on the extent of the changes to be made to the fundamentals of the car. When the technical regulations change little, as is the case this season, the engineers rely on the car from the previous year:
“The car of 2020 is an evolution of the STR14, explains to F1i Jody Egginton, the technical boss of Toro Rosso, who will now be called Alpha Tauri . We keep the same cooling philosophy , aerodynamicists were comfortable with it. We gave them enough freedom to do what they wanted. ”
But what happens in January in Faenza, a small town in Emilia-Romagna where the main factory of Red Bull's little sister is located?
“In January, we are in the middle of manufacturing aerodynamic surfaces, that is to say body parts. At this point, the chassis has been approved, it is installed in the factory mounting space. ”
“It should not be forgotten that if the preseason tests take place at the end of February, the first race is only contested in March.
In January, the launch version of the chassis is in production, but we are already focusing on the developments planned for the first race: a new front wing, an update of the rear wing, a new flat bottom model, etc. These parts are put into production in late January, early February, because we need them for the opening round in Melbourne or, ideally, for the last day of testing.
The article has 3 pages and some nice photos of behind the scenes.
Still all wearing STR gear so no glimpses of Alpha Tauri branding.