The Alfa Romeo Racing – ORLEN Formula 1 drivers, Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi, participated in a day of real-world tests on the new Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA and GTAm at the famous Balocco Proving Ground, fine tuning parts developed in collaboration with Sauber engineering.
The priceless technical know-how of Sauber Engineering
The Giulia GTA project benefits from the long-standing partnership with Sauber Group AG and leverages the know-how of its engineering and aerodynamics divisions. Alfa Romeo entrusted Sauber Engineering with the production of most of the carbon fibre components in the GTA and GTAm, especially those with an aerodynamic impact. These include the new front bumper, the side skirts, the diffuser, the GTA spoiler and the GTAm aerowing.
Sauber boasts 50 years of experience in motorsport, including 27 in Formula One, and is one of the few F1 teams with its very own wind tunnel. The facility, located in Hinwil, Switzerland, is one of the most advanced in Europe, equipped with state-of-the-art technology.
Aerodynamic research from the wind tunnel has been used to hone components for the Giulia GTAm, including the wing appendages and fully faired underbody. The manually adjustable front and rear wings on the GTAm have been developed to adapt the car’s aerodynamic performance to any kind of track or road, at the request and preference of the driver.
The GTA and GTAm also benefit from a new diffuser capable of increasing the car’s downforce, guaranteeing excellent grip at high speeds. On the Giulia GTAm, the high-downforce aerodynamic configuration is able to deliver an impressive lift coefficient, twice as much as the GTA and an astonishing three times that of the Giulia Quadrifoglio, which already sets the benchmark in its class.
The benefits of this collaboration have ranged from engineering, rapid prototyping and finally to the production of these specialised components.
F1 know-how working on the GTA project
The F1 drivers utilised the “Autodelta” workshop, the historical Alfa Romeo racing department, before testing the cars to their limits and providing feedback to the engineering team. All Alfa Romeo sports cars have undergone development and testing at Balocco since the 1960s.
As shown in the exclusive video shot at Balocco, on the historic circuit known as the “Alfa Romeo Track”, world champion Räikkönen and young Italian Giovinazzi worked closely with the engineers, focusing on technical suggestions to optimise aerodynamics and handling. To complete the fine-tuning of the GTA and GTAm, the F1 drivers analysed the changes made to the car and gave an account of their impressions on the track, resulting in a joint assessment of the effects on vehicle dynamics.
Giovinazzi offered tips on the car’s setup, paying special attention to the new carbon fibre components and the new technical solution adopted for the wheels with a single locking nut. “It is great to see the improvements we made to the cars today”, Antonio Giovinazzi said at the end of the test session.
Räikkönen worked with the aerodynamics department on the new appendages added to the new adjustable front splitter and to the new manually adjustable rear wing. He also examined the overall balance delivered by these new components, along with the diffuser and the underbody fairing, concluding; “I find them a perfect mix of everyday use and track use”.
The inspiration: 1965 Giulia GTA
The revived Giulia GTA is technically and conceptually inspired by the 1965 Giulia GTA, the “Gran Turismo Alleggerita” developed by Autodelta, based on the Giulia Sprint GT which had triumphed in races all over the world. The new Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA limited edition is derived from the Giulia Quadrifoglio, equipped with an upgraded version of the 2.9-litre V6 Bi-Turbo engine, now with 540hp. In GTAm guise it benefits from a weight reduction of 100kg, giving it an astonishing power-to-weight ratio of 2.82kg/hp.
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