Alpine closes the F1 presentation ball with its A523

The best for last, the most chauvinistic people will say. Alpine will have been made to wait a little longer than the others. Seventeen days after the first revelation of the car orchestrated by Haas with its VF-23, the French team has in fact closed the big parade of 2023 frames. A year after unveiling the A522 in Paris, near the Palais de Tokyo, the A fléché has this time taken up residence at the Printworks of London to officially launch its year 2023. 

A way to remind us that although the brand is French and will rely on two French drivers in 2023, it does not turn away from its British roots, symbolized by its chassis department.enstone.

At around 20:10 p.m. local time, Pierre Gasly et Esteban Ocon have therefore lifted the veil on the A523 and revealed to the eyes of the whole world the single-seater whose main mission will be to get closer to the Top 3 embodied by Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes. While resisting the ambitions of McLaren et Aston Martin, who will be eyeing 4th place in the Manufacturers' championship. 

Esteban Ocon at the wheel of theAlpine A523 during its burn-in at Silverstone last Monday / © Alpine F1 Team

The shakedown already completed for Alpine

The car had already been seen on Monday February 13 around Silverstone (UK), where she devoted herself to a burn-in, completed without incident in the hands of Ocon and Gasly over a distance of 100 km. Ultimately, the car seems quite close to what it was last year, with a pontoon philosophy retained despite some slight adjustments.

Enstone technical director Matt Harman also revealed the nature of the changes made. “We made some modifications to the front and rear suspensions, He explains. We unlocked performance on the nose and front flow structures to achieve more performance in the diffuser region, which prompted us to slightly revise our rear suspension concept.

We also adapted the size and position of the cooling system to improve the bodywork, building on last year's excellent performance. At the rear of the car, we are trying to improve efficiency on the spoiler and in particular on the base (“beam wing” in VO. Editor’s note), to gain efficiency.” 

The livery has not changed considerably. We indeed find the blue Alpine traditional, mainly on the central part of the bodywork, with the pink sidepods still in the colors of the title sponsor BWT.

The big news for the French team lies above all in its driver duo. Ocon, who has been part of the house since 2020 and has moved ahead Fernando Alonso in the championship in 2022, therefore welcomes Gasly. Alpine thus aligns the last two French winners of a Formula 1 GP: Italy 2020 for Pierre, Hungary 2021 for Esteban.

100% French duo with the Blues in 2023 with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly / © Alpine F1 Team

The goal 100 78 Grand Prix

A challenge, obviously, when we know that the two boys were childhood friends then rivals in karting. The hatchet seems buried between the two young men, more mature and professional than ever. Their objective ? Contribute to and accelerate the development ofAlpine, that Laurent Red expects to fight for the titles in now 78 races (the objective of 100 Grands Prix having been set at the end of 2021). 

“What I really want in 2023 is for the team to continue its progression, explained the CEO ofAlpine. We finished last season on a high by finishing in a well-deserved fourth place in the Constructors' Championship, which was an improvement on the fifth place we achieved the previous season.

Finishing fourth is again the minimum goal, but this time we have to do it with fewer retirements and more points. We are on schedule with our development targets set as part of our 100 race plan, and we have a much better understanding of the new regulations this year.”

All that remains is to prove it on the track! 

THEAlpine A523 should allow the French team to get closer to the three top teams / © Alpine F1 Team

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