AlphaTauri can almost get back to work: "A lot of work to do"

Jody Egginton is happy that the AlphaTauri factory is about to reopen. The technical director of the Italian team knows that there is still a lot of work to be done and says that when it comes to development, priorities need to be set for 2020.

"We've got a lot to do," says Egginton on a live stream from AlphaTauri. The factory of the Faenza-based race stable has been closed for 63 days at the beginning of June, which means that the work can be resumed. "At last we can continue working on projects that we had to stop earlier. Of course the original schedule will be changed now that the World Cup season is going to be different".

Busy development schedule AlphaTauri

Normally special parts are produced for the weekend in Monaco, but this is no longer necessary given that the Grand Prix in the princedom will not take place in 2020. That does not alter the fact that there is still more than enough work to do. "Several developments to ensure a constant flow of new parts were already in the wind tunnel, others were not. We now have to decide when we want to make use of which innovations, which leads to a very tight development, where we have to set different priorities," Egginton further explains.

The top man is afraid to say exactly what Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat will be able to do with the AT01 this year. "The 2019 season was our best year, with a sixth place and two podium finishes. We are well on our way, but the battle in midfield is very tough at the moment," said the 46-year-old Briton. "We want to go back to the front of midfield. We need to develop very efficiently to achieve that."

A lot of questions at Egginton

Egginton is responsible for the development of the 2020 car, but in the current situation it is difficult to manage that. "There's a lot of questions going through my head right now. They often start with: What if...? Because we don't have a new calendar yet. Fortunately the winter tests have shown us where we are strong and where we can improve," he concludes.