AlphaTauri is heading to Singapore this week with a "big upgrade" in its crates for its AT04, one directly inspired by the successful aero concept exploited by its sister outfit Red Bull Racing.
AlphaTauri is in dire need of a performance boost as the Faenza-based squad lingers dead last in F1's Constructors' standings with just three points, having only scored a trio of P10 finishes year-to-date courtesy of Yuki Tsunoda.
But according to AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer, the team is confident that its Singapore update package, one that takes its cue from Red Bull's design philosophy, will yield a step forward for its AT04.
"There are no quick gains," Bayer cautioned, speaking to PlanetF1.
"I mean, this year, we’ve seen some amazing changes in the results scheme, when suddenly Aston Martin popped up, and then suddenly McLaren popped up.
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"I think that’s really down to the fact that they all understood that what Red Bull Racing did in terms of design philosophy is the right one with this new downforce element which everybody is following.
"We actually have a big upgrade coming for Singapore, which will follow the same philosophy so everybody’s closing in on that and then I think next year will be extremely close."
Earlier this year, in the wake of an assessment of AlphaTauri conducted by Red Bull, the energy drink company mulled an outright sale of the team.
But Red Bull ultimately opted to hold on to its second franchise in F1 and to elaborate a comprehensive plan to improve its sporting results.
And part of the latter will involve more synergies and a closer technical collaboration with Red Bull Racing, as Bayer confirmed. But the team will also maintain a high level of autonomy.
"With the cost cap, and the technical regulations, you almost can’t be like a sister or brother team – you have to be a Formula 1 team," acknowledged the former FIA official.
"We need to grow through that process of growing up, going through adolescence, and start walking on our own feet. Obviously not in contradiction with getting support from our family, and I think that’s really what we’re also supposed to achieve.
"That’s what we want to achieve, we can still exploit the technical collaboration because we haven’t done that in the past.
"It’s well known by now, but, if you think about the importance of the suspension nowadays, and that we’re not using the suspension – which we are allowed to use – it simply was a mistake."
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