BWT Alpine F1 Team revealed its challenger for the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season today – the A523 – at a unique, star-studded event in London, United Kingdom.
The A523 is an evolution of its predecessor, the A522, as the team prepares for the second season under Formula 1’s new regulations introduced in 2022.
The livery is a stunning blend of the historic blue of Alpine, which has served the realms of motorsport for five decades, matched with the striking pink colours of the team’s title partner BWT as well as a new decorative crystallised pattern to symbolise Alpine’s derivation and historical roots in the Alps.
“It’s always a feeling of immense pride when we officially unveil our car for the upcoming season. 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. Alpine is climbing up and will continue to do so, of that, I am sure.”
Luca de Meo first started out his career at Renault and is now CEO, Renault Group. During his many years experience working for major European companies, he acquired much sought-after experience in the automotive industry and in management. He took over the helm of Renault Group in July 2020.
Laurent begins his second year at the helm of Alpine, remaining the figurehead of both the car brand and its Formula 1 operation. Born in 1975, in Corsica, Laurent took a keen interest in engineering, motorsport and Formula 1 from a young age. An engineer by trade, Laurent holds a Master of Science in Fluid Mechanics from ENSEEIHT (Toulouse) and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering / Automotive Engines & Petroleum Products from IFP School (Paris). He began his career at Groupe Renault in 2000 as Project Leader in the Powertrain Division. Laurent then moved to the USA to obtain an MBA from Harvard Business School, which he achieved in 2009, and was then recruited to work for the Boston Consulting Group in New York as Project Leader, specialising in automobiles. Laurent remained in America, joining Google in 2012 as Global Accounts Business Manager, leading business relations with key accounts in the automotive industry. By 2018, Laurent returned to Europe and to Paris, to again work for Groupe Renault in Strategy and Business Development, becoming Chief Strategy Officer in April 2018. With the Alpine name joining the Formula 1 grid ahead of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, Laurent was appointed CEO of Alpine in January of that year, tasked with developing the car brand’s exclusive and innovative line-up, making it profitable by 2025, as well as leveraging its involvement in motorsport.
Otmar signed with BWT Alpine F1 Team in February 2022 as Team Principal reporting to Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi. The Romanian-born American started his motorsport career in 1989 when he became Racing Programmes Manager for Ford. Whilst working for Ford he attended the Jim Russell Racing Driver School, where he had a brief stint as a driver in Formula Ford and Formula 2000 Otmar began his Formula 1 journey in 1998 as British American Racing’s (BAR) first Operations Director. He then became Honda’s Vice President of Racing Developments and a member of the Management Board for the Honda F1 Team. Otmar remained in Formula 1 and joined Force India in 2009, overseeing the team’s rise from finishing ninth in the Championship in 2009 to regular top five efforts from 2015: finishing fourth in 2016 and 2017. Most recently, the 57-year-old led the team through its rebrands to Racing Point in 2019 and 2020 and Aston Martin in 2021, before signing for Alpine prior to the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
Esteban Ocon begins his third season with the team ahead of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season. This season will be Esteban’s fifth full-time campaign in Formula 1, which he enters on the back of experiencing his first victory in Formula 1 last year. Esteban is well known to the Enstone-Viry family having spent the 2016 season as the team’s Reserve Driver, and, prior to that, was part of the Lotus junior programme during which he won the FIA European Formula 3 title in 2014. A year later Esteban won the GP3 Series crown. The 25-year-old has started 89 Grands Prix and accumulated 272 points during that time since making his Formula 1 debut as a teenager at the Belgian Grand Prix in 2016. His best qualifying performance to date remains his superb third place in Belgium in 2018, while his best race result is his stunning debut victory at the Hungaroring last August.
Pierre Gasly completes BWT Alpine F1 Team Driver line up and will drive alongside Esteban Ocon from the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season. A Grand Prix winner, and with multiple podiums to match, Pierre blends ambition with real results and holds the necessary experience to progress the team. He will join the team on a multi-year contract.
