“We drive less and less on the track” – AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost speaks on the challenges his team will continue to face despite a budget cap being imposed for all teams.
The FIA has brought in the budget cap to make the paddock more competitive, amidst sustained domination from the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull.
But AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost believes it will still allow the aforementioned teams to call the shots, considering the heavy spending they have done over the previous seasons.
“We still have to work on the infrastructure to optimise everything on this side. When I see the simulation tools and hear what the top teams have, then we can’t keep up.
“We have a good budget, but we’ve never been in a position to spend that much money on simulation tools and they are becoming more and more important as we drive less and less on the track.”
Will the new cars change the pecking order?
Apart from the budget cap, the radically changed car, the 18-inch tyres, and the updated sporting regulations are expected to bring the teams closer and potentially reshuffle the merit order.
Tost, on his part, is hoping AlphaTauri is a beneficiary of this unknown, as they look to build up on their impressive 2021 season.
“It’s a big unknown because everything is completely new. We have no comparison to the others.
“I trust our engineers because they built two good cars. The AT01 was already a good car and 2021 was another step forward. Why shouldn’t they be able to make the AT03 very competitive too?
“But there are also different philosophies from a technological point of view. I just hope that we’re going in the right direction.
“I don’t know where we’ll end up. But I trust our team. The aero group is doing a very good job and is going in the right direction.”
