Formula 1

Could the A523 move Alpine out of midfield?

Published

1 month ago

17/02/2023

For many years, Alpine ”Renault” has been searching for good results, but with the new Alpine A523 for the 2023 F1 season, will it be possible to break out of the midfield? We will analyze together the ambitions presented yesterday and the objectives of the French team.

At Printworks in London, Alpine concluded the launch season of Formula 1 in 2023 with a spectacular event. F1 Correspondent Kent Kiz was in attendance as the team expressed their determination to significantly reduce the margin to the ‘big three’.

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi, who spent a year evaluating the Enstone operation, previously known as Benetton and Renault, has presented the team with a challenging yet practical 100-race strategy. The aim of this plan is for the team to contend for “as many podiums as possible” in 2024.

Recognizing that there are no instant solutions in the world of F1, Rossi has established a goal of steady improvement. In 2022, Alpine achieved their initial objective of outpacing McLaren and securing fourth place in the constructors’ championship.

Alpine’s impressive performance in 2022 enhanced their brand and resulted in a significant increase in sales of their road cars. The greater the success of their commercial operations, the more resources can be directed towards strengthening their pursuit of trophies in F1. Although the current strategy has been effective, there is still more to be accomplished.

The A522 was a fast, yet occasionally fragile car. Despite suffering a series of retirements, primarily on Fernando Alonso’s side, much to the annoyance of the two-time world champion, the car’s speed allowed the team to consistently compete for top-six positions and secure valuable points.

The team’s high-risk, high-reward approach played a crucial role in their triumph over McLaren by a margin of 14 points. Although they finished the year a significant 342 points behind Mercedes in third place, their focus in 2022 was not on competing with the top teams.

Having taken a significant step forward, Alpine demonstrated several promising factors that could enable them to break away from the midfield and narrow the gap to the “big three” teams in the near future.

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A crucial factor in Alpine’s success during the previous season was starting with a solid baseline car that provided significant opportunities for development.

Under the guidance of Technical Director Matt Harman, who possesses extensive experience working for multiple world champions Mercedes, Alpine consistently introduced upgrades to their car throughout the season, culminating in a stronger overall performance. Each upgrade brought an improvement in performance, with two substantial floor upgrades resulting in a particularly satisfying increase in speed.

This season, the team has maintained their bold approach, with Technical Director Matt Harman stating that their objective is to be even more daring with their upgrade plan this year. “We are certainly excited about the development we have in store,” he says.

According to the team, the A523 unveiled at launch represents a “significant evolution” of last year’s car, featuring alterations to both the front and rear suspension. Additionally, they have made improvements to the front wing and front flow structures, which in turn allows for greater performance from the diffuser, particularly with the employment of a different rear suspension concept.

Regarding the rear of the car, Harman claims that they have enhanced the rear wing’s efficiency, specifically with the beam wing component, which has yielded a significant efficiency gain.

The new A523 car should provide both Esteban Ocon, who is set for his fourth season with the Enstone team, and new arrival Pierre Gasly with the opportunity to build upon their previous successes. Both drivers have won races and have known each other since their karting days.

Despite falling out many years ago, both Ocon and Gasly maintain that their previous dispute is now a thing of the past. They are fully committed to working together as an all-French driver lineup to extract maximum performance from the car on a consistent basis.

As the new season approaches, Ocon is feeling more confident than ever and aims to secure significant points every weekend, with the occasional podium finish. Gasly shares similar aspirations, believing that it is only “a matter of time” before Alpine reaches the front of the grid, based on what he has witnessed during his brief tenure with the team.

It is evident that Alpine is aware that they have a significant amount of work to do to match the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes as legitimate contenders for race wins.

Despite the formidable competition, Alpine has faith in their facility, personnel, and works power unit from Renault, which is becoming more effectively integrated with the aero from Enstone. They believe these factors will ultimately enable them to elevate their performance and compete at the forefront of F1 in the future.

In their pursuit of this objective, the next critical step for Alpine is to maintain the momentum they established last year, utilizing their resources to their full potential and working to reduce the enormous three-digit points gap to the next best team.

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