Two-liveried Alpine A523 breaks cover in London

The Alpine A523 has been unveiled at an event in London with two cars used to display the different livery options it will again use this season.

As last year, Alpine will run a fully pink livery at the opening three rounds of the year in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia, before reverting to its more traditional blue that still carries pink for title sponsor BWT. The new car was revealed at the Printworks event space in central London and included new driver pairing of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.

Here we have it everyone, the A523 🤩 #Alpine #A523 #F1 pic.twitter.com/8tK8qvecdA

— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) February 16, 2023

Not forgetting the BWT livery 🔥 #Alpine #A523 #F1 pic.twitter.com/VOlS2S657r

— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) February 16, 2023

The new car is an evolution of last year’s A522 that saw the team finish fourth in the constructors’ championship, and Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi says the target is to further cement that position while trying to close the large gap to the top three teams.

“It’s always a feeling of immense pride when we officially unveil our car for the upcoming season,” Rossi said. “Since Alpine joined the Formula 1 grid in 2021, I’ve been eager to see continued progress and tick off each season and each milestone as they come. Ultimately, we at Alpine are driven by a natural desire to race and that is etched in the company’s heritage and will remain at the heart of our motorsport projects for many years to come.

“I’d like to congratulate the teams at Enstone and Viry — led by Pat, Matt and Bruno — for their exceptional work in designing and delivering the magnificent A523, which we are all very much looking forward to seeing in battle on track.

“I’m proud to have entrusted Esteban and Pierre to be the face of the Alpine brand as race drivers for 2023. They must lead the team professionally both on and off track and contribute to the team’s success in reaching its goals. Alpine is climbing up and will continue to do so, of that, I am sure.”

The team says it has set “aggressive targets” with the 2023 car — the design featuring a deep gully between the sidepods and engine cover — and team principal Otmar Szafnauer is keen to see an improvement in reliability to try and improve on last year’s results.

“This time of the year is often filled with both excitement and anticipation ahead of a new Formula 1 season,” Szafnauer said. “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.”