We’re just one week away from Formula 1’s Bahrain pre-season testing and Alpine has finally joined the fray and revealed the car for the 2023 season. To add some spice, the unveiling was a star-studded event with the famous (or rather infamous for soccer fans) Zinedine Zidane at the forefront, signed as a brand ambassador.
Working together with the famous soccer player will be the first woman to win an Olympic boxing title, Nicola Adams, who will join the team as a mentor. This solidifies Alpine’s efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive environment that gives equal opportunities regardless of gender.
The racecar that Alpine will bring to the new and expanded Formula 1 23-race calendar will sport the designation A523. And while a few technical aspects of the team’s new one-seater have been improved, you would be hard-pressed to find any significant changes in the livery.
The Enstone-based team has chosen to keep the iconic blue that is so tied to the Alpine racing heritage. This base color will, of course, be complemented by the pink of the team’s title sponsor, BWT. This makes the A523 look eerily similar to its predecessor, albeit with a few changes, like the removal of the red Mapfire decal.
Also worth noting is that the full pink BWT livery will yet again make an appearance in the 2023 Formula 1 season. The reversed color scheme will grace the first three Grand Prix of the season in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Australia, to the pleasure of some fans and the dismay of others.
Photo: BWT Alpine F1 Team
While the livery did not change much, the lineup did. This year, the team will benefit from two French drivers, who both grew up in Normandy. Pierre Gasly will join Esteban Ocon at Alpine, sparking speculations of a fierce rivalry between them. So far, however, both drivers have insisted there is no friction between them, making us eager to see the pair work together in 2023.
Since I mentioned the technical aspects earlier, let me put those into the spotlight again, because they are arguably the most important part. Alpine has been on an upward trajectory, finishing fifth in the Constructors Championship in 2021 and fourth in 2022, edging McLaren despite reliability issues.
Well, those issues caused a multitude of DNFs, with Alonso sadly bearing the brunt of those problems. But, thanks to Technical Director Matt Harman we know that both the chassis team in Enstone and the engine department based in Viry-Châtillon, France, have been hard at work to remedy the inadequacies of the car.
While Alpine could not solve its problems during the course of the 2022 season, the team hopes DNFs will become a thing of the past. One of the engine components that caused trouble was the water pump and, as far as we’ve seen, it has been fixed, making Alpine hope they will beat McLaren for the fourth spot again or even improve on that performance.
As a kid, Bogdan grew up handing his dad the tools needed to work on his old Citroen and asking one too many questions about everything happening inside the engine bay. Naturally, this upbringing led Bogdan to become an engineer, but thanks to Top Gear, The Fast and the Furious series, and racing video games, a passion for automotive entertainment was ignited. Full profile
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