Marelli’s Formula 1 Fuel Pump Technology Powers Alfa Romeo

The Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake employs Marelli’s new micro lift fuel pumps

Dan Carney, Senior Editor

August 14, 2023

2 Min Read
Alfa Romeo Team F1 Stake
Alfa Romeo Team F1 Stake

Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake technical director Jan Monchaux recently answered questions about the team’s use of Marelli's innovative new “micro lift” fuel pumps in the fuel tank of the team’s F1 race cars, where he described the benefits of this technology in a racing application.

Q: Why is it important for these pumps to be in the fuel tank?

Jan Monchaux: We start the race with more than 100 kilos (of fuel) and slowly and surely the fuel (level) drops down. You need to effectively and constantly ensure that the engine receives the fuel that it requests.

At some point, when the fuel level is relatively low, depending on how the driver will be along the circuit, like braking very hard or accelerating very hear and taking some corners very, very quickly, you will have the remaining fuel sloshing around and potentially at some point the engine will not be fed with the fuel anymore.

Q: How do these pumps avoid that problem?

Jan Monchaux: The fuel will be pushed into a corner (of the car’s fuel tank) and the engine will not get it anymore. With these micro lift pumps we have, which are in very specific positions in the fuel tank, we will make sure these are added in the geometry because we have a very complex buffering system in the fuel cell, we make sure that even when we go almost to the end of the fuel cell, at the fuel tank level, that through those pumps we make sure that the amount of fuel the engine requests is always there. It is very important for us. If it doesn’t work, the engine stops!

Marelli F1 fuel pump.jpeg

Marelli's micro lift fuel pump, used by the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake for 2023.

Q: What are the benefits of the Marelli fuel pump?

Jan Monchaux: The advantage of those new pumps for us is the size. It is smaller, it is a weight saving, which for us is key.

There are also some characteristics related to the pump itself which allows us to be (more easily) within what the FIA expects. Because we have got some regulations on the amount of fuel, quite complex systems on the amount of fuel we’re allowed to ingest constantly in the engine.

You always want to be at the limit of what is allowed. This pump, as far as I believe, is helping us to be a lot closer to what is allowed. It allows us much better control of the fuel.

 

About the Author

Dan Carney

Senior Editor, Design News

Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.

A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.

Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.

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He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.

He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.

He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.

He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.

Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.

He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers

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