The latest presentation of the 2023 Formula 1 single-seaters took place this evening in London, with Alpine taking center stage by unveiling its new weapon: the A523.
This is the single-seater that will have to allow the French team not only to confirm itself in at least fourth place in the Constructors’ World Championship, but also to take a step forward in performance, approaching the three top teams that shared the victories of the grand prix in 2022, namely Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.
The A523 has already made its debut on the track in the shakedown held on the Silverstone track three days ago and today, finally, it was possible to grasp the shapes, ideas and concepts of the single-seater born and created in the Enstone factories.
The new Alpine looks very different from its predecessor at the front, with a completely redesigned nose and wing compared to those used last year. The muzzle loses its roundness and becomes flat on the upper surface, hooking up to the first element of the wing.
The wing itself loses the small spoon in the direction of the nose precisely because of the attack on the first element and, from the raised center, it drops towards the endplates creating an air passage towards the T-tray and the Venturi channels. A solution already adopted by Aston Martin on the AMR22 (comparison below), last year’s single-seater, on which, however, this solution seemed more extreme than the one adopted on the French single-seater.
On the other hand, the changes to the lower triangle of the front suspension are interesting. The coupling to the body has been raised by a few centimeters compared to last season. Remaining on the subject of suspension, the Enstone engineers have opted for the push-rod layout both at the front and at the rear. The central part of the car does not seem to have undergone major upheavals. The mouth of the bellies is always in the same position and is of the same shape. Same goes for the airscope.
Alpine A523
Photo by: Alpine
The design of the bellies has been modified in the area under the mouth of the same and the slide towards the bottom of the A523. He also changes the bonnet and does it in two very specific points. The first is linked to the steps that lead to the air vent on the beam wing of the rear wing. Last year the step was horizontal, while the A523 has a slightly arched one.
The second change, and it was evident during the shakedown session held three days ago on the British track of Silverstone, is the fin which is now much smaller and jagged, while last year it was larger and without serrations.
As for the livery, however, this is very similar to the one used in 2022. There are three most evident changes: the first concerns the metal wheel covers, on which a pink wheel has been affixed with a blue insert on the rear wheels and with opposite colors in the front ones.
The second novelty, however, concerns the bellies. The pink brought by the sponsor BWT extends very close to the mouth of the same, but it is a very small change. The last obvious change is the decision to leave the step black – one on each side – of the bonnet where the slits for cooling the rear axle are also located.
During the presentation, the all-pink livery on a showcar was also unveiled, evidently linked to the presence of title sponsor BWT. Last year the team raced at the first 2 grands prix in the opposite livery to the one they then used for the rest of the season. This time the pink coloring includes only that shade, without the presence of Alpine blue and will be used for the first 3 events of the season (Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia).
In fact, the A523 is an evolution of the A522, faithful to the concepts already expressed last season which led the team to beat McLaren and finish fourth in the Constructors’ World Championship.
Esteban Ocon confirmed – contract extended for several years – the big news from the point of view of the line up is the arrival of another French driver, Pierre Gasly, who is called to replace none other than Fernando Alonso, who moved to Aston Martin after signed a multi-year contract.
