ALPINE F1 A522 - PASSION, INNOVATION AND EXCELLENCE

Most teams made launches of the new cars with pre-recorded videos that were posted on social media, but the Alpine F1 was worthy of tradition.

The French team gathered reporters at a real ceremony in Paris, showcasing the new A522, the new team structure and the new main sponsor, BWT, which brought pink to the F1 championship.

BWT came to Alpine F1 bringing new team leader Otmar Schaffnauer. The American engineer of Romanian origin did not meet the courageous ambitions of the management of Aston Martin, so he moved to the French team to which he brought not only many years of experience, but also an Austrian sponsor.

Designers had to think about the combination of alpine blue with BWT pink colour. The launch showed the result of their efforts. It looks unusual, but it will be easily recognizable on the circuits. And yes, the team decided to have two liverys, one standard and one special.

The special pink livery of BWT will be used at the opening of the new season, ie. in the first two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and then the predominantly blue Alpine livery will take over for the rest of the 2022 season.

Alpin's ambitions are serious, but after the failure of Renault's no less grandiose plans, the team decided to calm the ball. In fact, no one still knows what the balance of power will be in the new season.

Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon will compete again in the colors of Alpine F1. Last June, the team extended contract with Ocon for three years. Alonso has a contract for another season, but has repeatedly stated that he has returned to Formula 1 for a third championship title. The 2022 season will play an important role for many, determining the balance of power for the coming years.

Fernando Alonso, #14 : "Last year was more of a transitional one for the team and obviously a continuation of the 2020 cars. However, we still managed to achieve some fantastic results like Esteban’s win in Hungary and my podium in Qatar."

"This year, though, there is a real feeling of optimism in the team. We’ve worked hard in Enstone and Viry over the winter. We will not know where everyone stands until the cars are wheeled out for the first time in Barcelona, but the anticipation of this moment is always special for everyone involved!"

"We have been asking for closer racing between cars, especially in the corners. We will have to wait and see if these regulations allow closer racing, but I will never be upset with the idea of more exciting racing."

"The sport is moving in the right direction off track too, thanks to the introduction of things like a budget cap. We hope it can bring more fairer racing between all of the teams with limits on spending to stop others outspending the rest."

"It is certainly different than the previous generations of Formula 1 cars. At the moment there is a lot of simulation and analysis, so I am excited for winter testing when we will know a lot more. Also, my experiences and learnings in the A521 last year will be helpful in setting up the A522 to a style I’m happy with."

Esteban Ocon, #31: "This year is extremely exciting for Formula 1 and for us as a team. It’s like the cards have been redistributed, it’s a fresh start and there is going to be a real mix without immediately knowing who will be at the front."

"We don’t know what will happen, you could say that provides some anxiety, heading into the unknown, but I find that exciting. It’s not necessarily about who will start the season the quickest, but more about who will end it the quickest."

"We know there will be a high rate of development from all the teams through the year, almost like a race in the design offices away from the track! It’s going to be a great challenge for us drivers, where hopefully we can follow cars closer and enjoy some closer racing. Let’s see, though, all of this is subject to confirmation and we will have a much clearer picture at the end of the tests."

"I’m very excited, of course, to not only see the A522 for the first time but to drive it too. It’s always a privilege to drive a new Formula 1 car for the first time as you know all the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes at both factories in Enstone and Viry from all of the many talented people working in the different departments there."

"That feeling and responsibility is truly unique and very special. It’s a lot of weight on the shoulders to take care of it and deliver a good performance from the car and I’m looking forward to taking that challenge on."

"It’s great to have the feeling that I’ve ticked off a Formula 1 race win in my career. That said, the ultimate goal is to repeat that more and more to one day be world champions. We will focus on the present, which is preparing for the 2022 season."

"We don’t know where our competitors will be, but we will concentrate only on ourselves. You always hear rumours from other teams, some will be ahead of the game, others not, but it’s hard to tell."

"What I do know is that we will push flat out! Our aim is come out from race weekends with no regrets and deliver everything possible with what we have. That is how I am approaching the season."

Pat Fry, Chief Technical Officer: "It’s a massive overhaul of the technical regulations for this year, which Formula 1 have been working on for five years or more now. I’ve seen a number of big rule changes in my Formula 1 career and this one is certainly up there in terms of its complexity and how restrictive the regulations are."

"When I first started in Formula 1 the rule book was relatively short and now it’s very extensive! The main concept of the change is to make overtaking easier and allow cars to run closer together, though, the complexity of the rules does heavily restrict what we can do aerodynamically."

"It’s going to be interesting to see the 10 different versions of the cars as each team brings their own interpretation to the track. Of course, there is always an opportunity to get these things right, or wrong, so it will be intriguing to see what our rivals have come up with."

"With any set of rules, it starts with a clean sheet of paper. Our job is to dig into the wording of what each rule means and then see how we can exploit that within what is legal. The more people you have, the more ideas you can generate and the more ground you can cover. Rule changes are always exciting from a design point of view, but you have to remain sensible and realistic."

"Performance in Formula 1 comes down to three things: the people, the tools they have to work with and the methodologies. We know this set of rules are quite restrictive. We’ve done the best we can and everyone at the team has done a great job. We’ll keep improving the aforementioned three core pillars and the aim is to keep moving forwards."

"In terms of the car, the key area for this year for every team is getting the most from the floor as it needs to work very close to the ground and, at the same time, you need to get the cleanest possible airflow to the rear of the car. There’s also been a huge amount of work at Viry to produce a completely new power unit for this year, before its specification gets homologated through to the end of 2025."

"In addition, close collaboration between Viry and Enstone on packaging the power unit has allowed us some extra freedom in shaping the rest of the car and better exploiting the latest technical regulations. Keeping the car to the weight limit is always a challenge, made especially difficult this year with the large increase in the chassis load tests for safety, which are, of course, for very good reason. There’s also the financial regulations and the cost cap to contend with and that presents a number of ideas and strategies for car development, which we’re looking to capitalise on."

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal: "I’m exceptionally proud to be joining BWT Alpine F1 Team as Team Principal. I’m very grateful to Laurent for the trust to lead this team in my role and I’m looking forward to beginning this new journey. I know a lot about the team as they were fierce competitors from my previous roles. I know just how good this team is, and, indeed, how good it can become. The personnel on board, and both drivers, are so strong and I’m excited to get down to business."

"I know Esteban very well from his two seasons at Force India. Back then, he was young, raw, hugely talented and very quick on-track. In fact, not much has changed since. His talent is clear to see, and I was very happy and proud to see him claim his first Grand Prix win last season. It’s great to team up with Esteban again as I have a good relationship with him already. Everyone knows Fernando’s exceptional qualities. His experience is invaluable, and I thoroughly believe the team’s line-up is amongst the strongest on the grid. It’s going to be enjoyable to work with a motorsport legend in Fernando and to reunite with Esteban."

"Leadership skills are paramount to the success of any company, whether that be in sport, in Formula 1 or any other business. It’s never an easy task, nor an easy journey, but that’s what makes the challenge so exciting. I’m a firm believer in passion, teamwork and Respect for the Individual. We have to be passionate about what we do, whatever the task. A high-performing team’s key to success has, and always will be, teamwork. We’ll control what we are able to control, we’ll enjoy our journey, and we’ll enjoy the racing because that is what we’re here to do. As a team, we’re all racers and that is why we enjoy our work in Formula 1. With this passion and teamwork, I know success will come."

"This time of year is always filled with anticipation and excitement. This season, that is only amplified as Formula 1 heads into a new era. I’m very excited to see the A522 on-track and seeing how we can keep developing the entire package over the course of the season. Right now is a fantastic moment. It’s when the talking stops and the on-track actions take over. Everyone’s hard work has certainly paid off in designing and creating the car. I’m very proud to be joining this team and being part of the transition and future progress.”"