Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly gave some thoughts on the new Alpine A523 after the Silverstone run on Monday as social media outlets share leaked images of the new Alpine A523 Formula 1 car for 2023 before the official launch later this week.
The Silverstone circuit saw plenty of on-track action on Monday, with Williams taking their FW45 car for its first shakedown, and Aston Martin preparing to reveal their new AMR23 car off-track.
On a busy day, it was a bumper one for the 2023 Formula One season, and Alpine’s next move will be to officially unveil the new car at an event in London later this week.
An atypical way of getting the car out on the track before the actual unveiling, but still an opportunity to get some early data on their new machine as they look to build on their P4 Constructors’ Championship finish in 2022.
Drivers react
Speaking after the run, both drivers, Esteban Ocon and new arrival Pierre Gasly, gave their initial thoughts on the car and how the session went:
“It’s not until you get back out on track in a Formula 1 car that you realise how much you miss it,” said Ocon.
“It was an honour to drive the A523 and experience first-hand all the hard work and improvements that have gone into this car. A big thank you to all the women and men at Viry and Enstone for reaching this milestone and seeing the car on-track for the first time.
“The first lap is always a memorable one and I’m glad today went smoothly. We will show the A523 to the world this Thursday at the launch and also on track in Bahrain next week.”
“It’s a fantastic feeling to be driving again, especially in my new colours of Alpine,” added Gasly.
“Today was about getting an initial feel for the car and it felt very good on the laps I drove. I know everyone at the team has worked tirelessly to develop the car over the winter and it’s a proud moment to drive it today and see everyone’s faces in the garage. I’m looking forward to the launch on Thursday and then learning even more about the car at testing.”
Alpine car images leaked
The unusual way of launching the car after a filming day rather than before, inevitably lead to photographers being able to take pictures of the new car ahead of the official launch.
