Alpine has revealed its challenger for the 2024 Formula 1 season, the A524, at a launch event at the team’s Enstone base on Wednesday.
Having capitalised on the most recent regulation reset to climb to fourth in 2022, Alpine regressed to sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship last term.
Although both drivers managed to notch a podium, Alpine amassed 53 points less than the previous season and were overhauled by Aston Martin and then McLaren.
Alpine had sustained a strong rate of development upon F1’s return to ground effect cars, but struggled to maintain that momentum and hit a ceiling with its A523.
The Anglo-French operation’s tumultuous opening to the last campaign witnessed an overhaul in the team’s management structure ahead of the annual summer break.
Otmar Szafnauer vacated the post of Team Principal amid a disagreement with the parent Renault board over the timeline for achieving success, while long-serving Sporting Director Alan Permane, who has since been appointed the rebranded RB side’s new Racing Director, also departed.
Bruno Famin assumed the place of Interim Team Principal but that appears to have become a more permanent position, while Alpine Academy Director Julian Rouse was named the team’s Interim Sporting Director.
Elsewhere, ex-CEO Laurent Rossi was moved into an alternative role within the company, with Chief Technical Officer Pat Fry exiting to take up that same responsibility at Williams.
Technical Director Matt Harman revealed towards the end of last season that Alpine had prioritised a wider operating window with a car that is new from “front-to-back”.
Alpine’s latest design scheme continues the recent tradition of combining the signature pink of partner BWT with the blue that is associated with the marque’s brand.
Those two colours will be incorporated with a carbon base as part of a collaboration with artist Felipe Pantone to bring a “fresh and unique vision to the car design”.
“Clearly, the 2023 season was a turbulent one for the team,” Famin said. “Crucially, though, it brought a degree of realisation in the respect that we needed to improve our overall team dynamic. We made changes for the second half of the season, most notably to the way the trackside team operates, which brought some immediate and tangible success.
“The aim now is to extend this dynamic to the whole of Alpine Racing and we aim to begin 2024 very much on the front foot in terms of delivering high standards and maintaining operational excellence.
Alpine at least enters 2024 with stability maintained in its driver line-up as Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly form an all-French driver pairing for the second successive year.
Ocon had been associated with the team previously when he served as Renault’s test driver in 2016 before returning in a full-time role in 2020 after a year on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, having lost Fernando Alonso to Aston Martin and Oscar Piastri to McLaren, Alpine prized Gasly away from the Red Bull stable to partner Ocon from last season.
The Frenchman, who celebrates his 28th birthday on the date of Alpine’s launch, sustained a promising debut campaign with the squad, peaking with third at Zandvoort.
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