Formula 1: Alpine complete the 2023 F1 grid with A523 car launch
Alpine have become the 10th and final team to reveal their car for the upcoming F1 season, pulling the covers off the A523 during a ceremony in London to complete the 2023 grid.
Following Monday’s shakedown at Silverstone, the team gathered in the capital – at the Printworks events venue – on Thursday evening for their official launch, which saw them unveil the new car in their now-traditional blue-livery – along with a pink-themed version in the colours of the team’s title sponsor BWT, which will run at a handful of selected races this year.
The car will be driven by Esteban Ocon, who is preparing for his third season in Alpine colours, and new team mate Pierre Gasly, who arrived from AlphaTauri over the winter.
Alpine will be hoping that 2023 can yield the next step in their push towards the front of the F1 grid, with the top three now the target after finishing fifth in the constructors’ standings in 2021 and fourth in 2022.
Ocon and Gasly have already shared positive words about their first runs in the A523 on Monday – the latter reporting a “very good” feeling – while the team noted that the day was issue-free.
Adding his thoughts on the car’s shakedown, Alpine Technical Director Matt Harman said: “It’s been another milestone ticked for the A523 with our shakedown at Silverstone and I’m pleased the day ran so smoothly.
“Esteban drove first in the morning to check all the systems were working properly as well as completing the usual install programme for the car. Pierre was then in the car in the afternoon for the first time in the A523 and completed eight stable laps to get an initial feel in his new surroundings.
“These days are of course limited and not representative, but we’ve certainly had a great day and we now look forward to testing in Bahrain where we expect to continue our learning of the 2023 car.”
As Harman mentioned, Alpine and the rest of the F1 grid will soon travel to the Bahrain International Circuit for pre-season testing – with running set to take place from February 23-25.
