The start of the 2023 Formula 1 season is another opportunity for Scuderia AlphaTauri to push the boundaries. This year, the team drives onto the track with the new AT04 car, meeting new technical regulations for aerodynamics and stability, while increasing the ability to accelerate performance.
The AT04 was revealed at New York Fashion Week in February, with Scuderia AlphaTauri making history as the first Formula 1 team to launch a new livery at the event. Drivers Yuki Tsunoda and newcomer Nyck de Vries, along with team principal Franz Tost, unveiled the AT04 livery, while AlphaTauri CEO Ahmet Mercan introduced the new AlphaTauri fashion collection.
Around the world, Scuderia AlphaTauri fans were treated to a digital reveal to gear up for the 2023 Formula 1 season that begins in Bahrain on March 5.
Curious fans can also get an exclusive look at how the new car was designed and manufactured with Epicor, official ERP technology partner to Scuderia AlphaTauri. Following up on the behind-the-scenes series detailing the partnership, the making of the F1 car will be featured in three more video episodes released throughout this F1 season, focusing on the pre-production, production, and post-production processes of the front wing.
As official ERP partner to Scuderia AlphaTauri, Epicor enables the team the ability to track the integrity and lifecycle of more than 14,000 car components. This helps Scuderia AlphaTauri maximize efficiency and eliminating unplanned costs—critical for success in a complex manufacturing process.
The redesign process began with new F1 technical regulations aimed at increased car stability and driver safety. To prevent drivers from experiencing an unpleasant vertical oscillating, or “porpoising,” phenomenon, the car now sits higher. In the central section of the floor, the plank minimum is raised 10mm and the outer floor edges 15mm, while the maximum lateral edge deflection of these parts is reduced from 8mm to 5mm. Additional sensors help provide extra oscillation monitoring.
At the front end of the car, there are new restrictions to the front wing in the area of its four profiles and the outside vertical edges of the endplates. In terms of rearview mirrors, reflection surface has increased from 150mm to 200mm.
The roll hoop, the critical part mounted at the top of the chassis to protect the driver’s head in the event of a rollover accident, features a height increase of 900mm to 950mm (measured at the reference plane), with a curvature of at least 20 mm. These modifications strengthen the roll hoop, and a new physical homologation test is also implemented where the load pushes the roll hoop in a forward direction.
Power and precision on the track start with power and precision in production. With Epicor, Scuderia AlphaTauri can automatically render an entire schematic structure of every part of every car. During component production, Epicor optimizes processes by giving the team granular visibility into the specific machine, operator, and tools used to manufacture the parts.
Every car has hundreds of sensors onboard. During on-track testing, Scuderia AlphaTauri overlays telemetry data from the sensors onto the car operating limits and simulations, providing a detailed view of performance and reliability for the various areas of the car. The team can automatically “unwind” the data to earlier snapshots of the car structure to pinpoint potential component problems and use predictive analytics to get ahead of resolving them.
Epicor also plays an essential role in better managing inventory and materials through every phase of production. This is particularly vital for the use of carbon fiber, which must be maintained at a precise refrigerated temperature. Epicor provides immediate visibility into how much carbon fiber is in stock, its integrity and lifecycle, and real-time consumption, so the team never orders more than required.
From designing and planning to production and assembly, Epicor enables Scuderia AlphaTauri to develop advanced cost-analysis models that inform critical decisions and help ensure the car is ready to go when it hits the track.
