Want to know more about the BWT Alpine F1 team? In this article we have complied all the information you need on the French team.
Table of Contents
- About the Alpine F1 Team
- Alpine F1 Drivers
- Alpine F1 Car 2023
- Alpine F1 Achievements
- Alpine F1 Merchandise
- Alpine F1 Media
About Alpine F1 Team
Alpine F1 is a French racing team with an interesting history. The team was originally founded in 1971 as the Equipe Renault Elf and has undergone several name changes over the last few decades. In 2016, the team was renamed as Renault Sport Formula One Team after Renault returned to Formula One as a constructor. In 2021, the team was rebranded once again as the Alpine F1 Team we know today. The Alpine F1 team is based in Enstone in the United Kingdom.
When the team was formerly known as Renault, they won two Constructors’ Championships, in 2005 and 2006, with their former driver Fernando Alonso winning the Drivers’ Championship in both consecutive years. As Alpine F1, the team has so far had one victory and three podiums in total. The team placed fourth in the Constructors Championship in 2022. The 2023 season is looking very promising for the team and they are definitely ones to watch in the top four teams.
Logo
With the rebranding of a new name also came a new logo to represent Renault’s new Alpine F1 team. The Alpine design team decided to go with a very simple and classic design for the rebranding, by simply having a big Blue capital A as their logo. This logo is easily recognisable and this year the teams bright pink colours makes them stand out clearly on the grid amongst the other formula one cars.
Team Principal
2023 will be Otmar Szafnauer’s second season as team principal for the BWT Alpine Team. After a very successful F1 season in 2022, placing fourth in the Constructor’s all eyes will be on Szafnauer this season to see if he can he repeat or improve on the teams success. He started his career in the motorsport world in 1989 when he was hired as Ford’s manager of racing programs. While working for Ford, he went to the Jim Russell Racing Driver School, where he worked as a Formula Ford and Formula 2000 driver. The Romain-American engineer began his Formula 1 journey in 1998 as the very first Operations Director of British American Racing (BAR).
Soon after he became Vice President of Racing Development at Honda and a member of the Honda F1 Team Board of Directors. In 2009 he decided to join F1 team Force India where he succeeded in placing the team to top five finishes in three consecutive years. He stayed with the team for two years after they renamed as Racing Point. Before joining with Alpine in 2022, he led the Aston Martin team also for a year. With a lot of experience and good performances under his belt, Szafnauer had a lot to prove when replacing Marcin Budkowski. He rose to the challenge and moved Alpine up one spot from 2021, with the team placing fourth in the constructors.
Alpine F1 Drivers
Alpine F1 drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly make up the only French driving pair on the Formula One grid. Both drivers have a long history of driving together, with both competing against each other karting in the French Minime Championship. Neither of these drivers have had a smooth sailing and straightforward career in Formula One but their sheer determination and talent has proved them as competitors on the F1 grid.
Esteban Ocon
Born on September 17, 1996, in Évreux, France, Esteban Ocon always had a desire to become a F1 driver. The French driver won the Formula 3 European Championship in 2014 and the GP3 Series in 2015. Esteban Ocon made his F1 debut with the Manor team in 2016 when he replaced Rio Haryanto at the Belgian Grand Prix. Ocon clearly impressed as he was offered a full-time seat in 2017 with Force-India where he joined teammate Sergio Perez. Ocon was replaced by Lance Stroll in 2019 due to Lance’s father Lawrence Strolls support in Force-India’s finances. Although this was a knock for Ocon he did not let it crush his F1 dreams.
He spent his year hiatus as a reserve driver for Mercedes and in 2020 he was offered a seat by Renault, who became Alpine the following year. He partnered up with Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo. He took his maiden F1 podium this same year at the Sakhir Grand Prix, placing second and the following year when the team rebranded as Alpine he took his maiden victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix.Arguably he had one of his most successful and consistent F1 seasons ever with Alpine finishing 8th in the Drivers Championship. In 2023, Ocon secured his third podium at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The French driver uses the driving number 31.
Ocon Statistics
| Poduims | 3 |
| Points | 370 |
| Highest Race finish | 1 |
| Highest Grid Position | 3 |
Pierre Gasly
Even more so than his teammate, Pierre Gasly has had quite the tumultuous F1 career. Gasly began his F1 career as a reserve driver for Red Bull Racing in 2015 and finally made his F1 debut at the Malaysian Grand Prix replacing Danill Kvyat for Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2017. The following year his was offered a full-time seat in the F1 World Championship driving for Toro Rosso. After a successful year, the French driver was offered a seat at Red Bull Racing to replace Daniel Ricciardo. Unfortunately, Gasly did not live up to Red Bull Racings standards or expectations and the pressure of partnering and being compared to Number one driver Max Verstappen proved too much.
After the Summer break, Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal decided to send Gasly back to Toro Rosso and replace him with Alex Albon. However, this set back only motivated Gasly to prove his worth and in his return to Toro Rosso, the Frenchman secured P2 at the Brazilian Grand Prix and the following year he earned his maiden win at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza driving for the renamed AlphaTauri team. 2021 also proved a successful year for the driver at AlphaTauri, however in 2022, Gasly decided to make the change to the new BWT Alpine team. 2023 will be his first season with BWT Alpine.
Gasly’s driving number is number 10.
Gasly Statistics
| Poduims | 3 |
| Points | 340 |
| Highest Race finish | 1 |
| Highest Grid Position | 2 |
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso joined the BWT Alpine F1 team for their first two seasons in Formula One after a two-year hiatus from Formula One. Alonso is rated up their as one of the best Formula One drivers on the grid. The Spanish driver has a long history with Renault, racing for them in the early 2000’s and setting many records. He was once F1’s youngest polesitter, race winner, world champion and double world champion. Like all F1 drivers, Alonso began his F1 career in karting. He had many successes in his early career, winning the Spanish karting championship in 1993 and the Junior World Championship in 1996.
F1 driver Adrian Campos gave Alonso his break into F1 giving him his first test in a racing car with the Nissan team. Soon after he progressed to Formula 3000. In 2001, Alonso made his F1 debut with Minardi. The 2023 F1 season has so far been a huge success for Alonso who is now driving for Aston Martin. Currently he stands in third place with 93 points and his team Aston Martin are placed in second place with 120 points, one point ahead of Mercedes F1 team. Alonso has clearly proven his superiority in F1 over the years, winning the 24h de Le Mans twice and Daytona 24.
Alonso uses the driving number 14 since he was 14 years old.
Alonso Statistics
| Poduims | 103 |
| Points | 2154 |
| Highest Race Finish | 1(x32) |
| Highest Grid Position | 1 |
| World Championship | 2 |
Alpine F1 Car 2023
In 2023, BWT Alpine revealed their brand new design to the world of Formula One- the A523. Alpine had to consider the new Formula 1 regulations that were implemented in 2022 when designing the A523. The A522 brought them to fourth place in the Constructors Championship, leaving big shoes to be filled for the A523.
The A523 is very visually appealing with its vivid colouring, pairing Alpine’s traditional blue with the eye-catching pink of the team’s main sponsor BWT. Alpine released their two new liveries at their conference in February 2023, showcasing one car with a more prominent Alpine blue colour, while the other prominent in pink. The new Alpine automobile has undergone numerous feature modifications in addition to visual ones.
The Alpine team set themselves many targets for the 2023 season and they feel that the A523 is their best solution to reaching these targets. The main plain of the front wing and the nose concept have been redesigned to give more freedom to change elements of the front wing and to control the airflow more consistently into the front suspension area. The front suspension works a differently on the A523 then it did on the A522, the wishbones positions have been changed to better control the airflow.
The body work has also changed by creating a deep gully that will again allow the mass flow of the air to the back of the car which will in turn improve the energy at the rear of the car. The power unit has been improved to be much more reliable than the A522. The cooling system has also been reduced. The rear suspension is one of the biggest changes in the A523, having changed from a pull rod suspension to a push rod suspension to take some weight out of the car and to control the air flow cleaner. The rear wing has been designed more efficiently by optimising the beam wing to create less drag.
Alpine F1 Achievements
ALPINE RAC(H)ER
The Rac(H)er programme was created by Alpine in 2022. The Rac(H)er program aims to strengthen and diversify every department of the business. The whole idea of the Rac(H)er programme is to put forward a plan to improve the diversity of talent within Alpine, from racing drivers to engineering and technical jobs. The Alpine team has made a life-long commitment to diversifying its own staff. According to Alpine, females make up only 12% of its workforce. They have said that the programme will start with an investment in local STEM programmes that encourage women to enter technical and scientific fields.
They also plan on implementing mentoring programmes to support women in their chosen career. They aim to increase their diversity from 12% females in 2022 to 30% females within 5 years. In order to do this Alpine will begin by recruiting 50-50% male-female trainees and graduates. The Rac(H)er programme aims to identify young female karters who want to enter Formula 1. In order to promote the development of these talented females, this program will use a thorough roadmap to lay out testing plans, racing plans, physical training plans, and mental training programs.
Achievements Throughout the Years
The BWT Alpine F1 team, when known as Renault had many achievements to their name. In 2005 and 2006 Fernando Alonso lead the team to two consecutive Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships. At the time Alonso was also the youngest driver to win the title at 24 years of age. Renault had many successful drivers drive for them throughout the years including Alain Prost, Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg. Since the rebranding, Alpine have also had many achievements in a short length of time.
Since their debut race at the Bahrain Grand Prix up until the time of writing this article, the BWT Alpine F1 team have driven in a total of 50 Grand Prix. Out of these 50 races, they have achieved one race win and three podiums. Their best Championship Finish as a team as been an outstanding fourth place and their best championship finish for an Alpine driver has been 8th place, achieved by Esteban Ocon. The BWT Alpine F1 team have gained a total of 365 points to date. They have also placed in top 10 finishes a total of 67 times in the last three seasons.
Alpine F1 Merchandise
If you are an Alpine F1 fan and you are looking for some merchandise to show your support then we have you covered. Below we have gathered all the best websites where you can get Alpine Merchandise to show the world who you support on the F1 grid. From memorabilia to clothing there are many different Alpine items for you to choose from.
F1 Store Front
The F1 store has a variety of different Alpine F1 merchandise for sale on their website. They also often have good discounts so it is a great option for more high-priced merchandise that you have your eye on. Fans can get polo shirts, drivers t-shirts, softshell jackets, rain jackets, caps, gilets and hoodies in the colours that reflect the Alpine brand, white, navy and blue. The website also sells model cars and backpacks. Everything an Alpine fan needs to complete their collection. Prices can vary from under €20 to up and over €150.
Fans Brand
Fans Brand is another website that sells Motorsport merchandise. Here fans can also buy Alpine pants, t-shirts, polo shirts, caps, sweatshirts, jackets and even dresses! The store often has 10% selected items such as caps and hats. If you have an Alpine F1 fan in your life then this is a great stocking filler at Christmas. Prices can vary from the mid €30’s up to and over €200.
Alpine Store
On this website fans can buy Alpines clothing collaboration with Kappa. Here you can buy printed t-shirts, jerseys, bodywarmers, shorts, neck warmers, posters of the drivers helmets, bucket hats, caps, backpacks, socks and shoes, books, keyrings and facemask. Prices vary from €9 up to €250. This collection is unique to Alpine and very popular among Alpine Formula one fans.
Fuel For Fans
Official Alpine F1 team merchandise can be bought on fuel for fans website. They supply fans with team and driver caps, t-shirts and polo shirts, Alpine hoodies, jackets and sweaters. Fans can also get 20% off with their first order. Prices vary from €5 up to €300 for Formula One merchandise.
Alpine F1 Media
If you want to keep up to date with the BWT Alpine teams progress and news throughout the year you have plenty of media options to choose from. For any F1 fans there is the option to listen to F1:Beyond the Grid podcast to hear exclusive interviews with Alpine drivers and team members.
Website
The Alpine Media website uploads press releases every few days keeping fans up to date on performances in qualifying, grand prix results and up coming races. Fans can also read about Alpines partnerships, accreditations and mentoring schemes. The press releases give statements by the BWT Alpine F1 team giving fans an insight into what the Alpine team feel. You can read quotations from drivers Galsy and Ocon and also from team members such as sporting director, Alan Permane, Alpine CEO, Laurent Rossi and team principal, Otmar Szafnauer to name but a few.
Social Media
BWT Alpine F1 team can also be found on many social media accounts so you can follow them on your preferred application or all.
Alpines Instagram account @alpinef1team posts many updates about the team daily. The media team allow followers to see amazing photos from behind the scenes, of the racers and of the Alpine team in the pit, still photos of races and of the cars. They also upload videos of inside the drivers seat and the communication between drivers and the team. It also keeps fans up to date with results of qualifying and races on their stories. They save their race updates as highlights on their Instagram for fans to look back whenever they please.
The Alpine twitter account @Alpinef1team upload a lot of similar posts to that of the Instagram but with extra content included. The Alpine media team let their sense of humour fly on twitter, often posting memes of the drivers. The Alpine Twitter page gives more up to date information during races, uploading the drivers positioning every few laps. They also document pitstops and other activities/reactions happening inside the pit.
The Alpine teams Facebook page is very much the same to their Instagram account. They upload results and some behind the scenes photos but you won’t get updates on results and positionings as they happen like the Twitter page. Nevertheless it is still a great social media for seeing updates on Alpine and what is happening within the team.
TikTok
If you like to watch videos and TikTok is your main source of media then you should follow the Alpine F1 team’s page. Here you will get exclusive videos of the drivers and have the opportunity to ask questions to the drivers and team via the comments. Through these videos you can see exactly what Alpine are as a team. Gasly and Ocon also take part in TikTok trends and challenges and make funny videos. You also get to see into their lives on the grid such as the drivers rooms. You also get footage of inside Enstone. This is a must follow for Alpine fans who crave for behind the scenes footage.
If you enjoyed this article you may have interest in other F1 articles on our page such as: Mercedes F1, McLaren F1, Scuderia Ferrari and Drive to Survive.
