The Enstone based squad launched their 2023 challenger in London during an event that was also streamed live on YouTube, albeit a bit later than originally communicated. The CEO’s opened the show with the obligatory commercial talks before revealing the A523. Not only the livery that was already leaked on the internet a few days ago was revealed, when the team was having a filming day at Silverstone; but a pink livery was revealed as well, just like last year.
The team beat McLaren to fourth in the constructors standings last year, and hopes to improve that result this year with an all-French line-up, as Fernando Alonso left and is replaced by Pierre Gasly. That makes Esteban Ocon the senior driver in the team, despite being a tad younger than his compatriot. He is looking forward to the coming season:
“I am very excited for the coming season with BWT Alpine F1 Team, my fourth year with the Enstone-Viry family. We showed some great progress in 2022 and everyone in France and the United Kingdom has been working hard on developing the car for 2023. I cannot wait to get the season underway to continue the upwards trajectory from last year, and I am looking forward to testing the car properly in the pre-season test. The livery looks fantastic – it really stands out – and I’m sure it’s going to look amazing on track. I have been working very hard over the winter to prepare for the start of the season, I feel like I’m in really good shape and, right now, I’m certainly ready to go racing again.”
Gasly shared Ocon’s excitement for the coming campaign:
“It’s fantastic to be officially unveiled as a BWT Alpine F1 Team Race Driver and I’m very much looking forward to this next stage of my career. I am eager to see the potential and capabilities of the A523 at pre-season testing and to continue getting more comfortable with the team. Experiencing the power of the A522 at the end of last season and seeing the developments the team is bringing for this year’s car has made me excited for what is to come with Alpine. It is great to see the dedication that everyone at Enstone and Viry applies to their daily jobs in consistently pushing forwards and I cannot wait to get started in helping the team to reach its objectives for the year.”
Last year Alpine took a deliberate risk in sacrificing reliability for performance, knowing that improving the former is allowed within the regulations. Team boss Otmar Szafnauer hopes to reap the fruits of that labour in 2023:
“This time of the year is often filled with both excitement and anticipation ahead of a new Formula 1 season. It was a fantastic feeling to reach our objectives in 2022 by finishing in a well-deserved fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship; a healthy and significant milestone on our 100-race plan as outlined by Laurent at the beginning of the season. We have just under 80 races left on this mission and I’m proud to lead the team on this journey. For 2023, the aim is simple: at a minimum, we must finish in fourth and in a much more convincing fashion. By that, it means, more finishes, more points and less unforced retirements. I have high expectations from everyone in the team – not least Esteban and Pierre – who will work collaboratively to deliver the best possible results for the team.”
Technical Director Matt Harman closed off the Formula 1 part of the evening by describing the changes and design philosophy for the car, concluding with the message that the Alpine A523 is underweight. Time will tell if that brings the desire performance on track.
