Alpine have unveiled the A522 car which will be driven by Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon in the 2022 F1 Season.
Following a title sponsorship deal with BWT following the conclusion of their partnership with Aston Martin at end of 2021, Alpine’s new car will now sport a fresh livery with the addition of BWT logo alongside the sidepods as well as on front and rear wings.
Alpine has also retained French Blue as the predominant livery across front nose and engine cover with spots of white and red again featuring on the rear end, albeit covering a smaller section than last season.
Alpine overalls have also undergone a rebrand with the addition of pink sections on lower arms and across chest, alongside French blue around collar, upper arms and everywhere else.
There will also be a special car livery for the opening two rounds of the season to welcome BWT on board as title sponsor, which will see the car predominantly pink with a touch of French flag colours at rear end.
On the car itself, the front nose is narrower compared to the A521 car whilst the rear wing like many rival cars is sloped but has the distinction of the bottom half having a smoother curve than other cars, whilst all teams will run 18 inch Pirelli tyres this season.
There is also unseen development work on the floor to help improve airflow to the rear of the car as ground-aero effects returns to F1.
New Team Principal, Otmar Szafnauer discussed his ambition for this season in terms of his contribution to the team, as he commented: “I will bring my style of collaborative leadership.
“The glue that keeps us all together is very important and I do feel that the glue that keeps us all together pointing in the right direction is key to this and I try to bring a really strong glue.”
Alonso meanwhile believes that Alpine is in a stronger position than this time in 2021 with a race victory now under their belt courtesy of Ocon in Hungary, as he said: “I think the team is stronger than 12 months ago and we are now ready for the challenges of this year.”
On his reaction to the new car and livery, Alonso described the look as “fantastic” as he added that Alpine has a new engine so feels confident that there is a good plan for the car development this season.
The two-time champion also stated his wish for a more competitive campaign as he teased: “I hope the new regulations have worked and we get more exciting wheel to wheel racing this year.”
Ocon meanwhile is “very excited” to get the A522 car on track in the first pre-season test this week in Barcelona, Spain, which he feels is “always a privilege” after the work across both factories in Enstone and Viry.
This season also marks the first campaign that Ocon will enter a new season with the experience of having won a F1 race, which the Frenchman is relieved to no longer has hanging over his shoulder.
He however is eager to try and replicate that success more regularly as he added: “That said, the ultimate goal is to repeat that more and more to one day be world champions.”
Ocon though is aware that he needs to focus in the present tense because he doesn’t know where Alpine’s rivals stand in the pecking order, amidst various rumours as he iterated that he “will push flat out!”
In terms of his targets for the season, Ocon is taking it race by race to ensure that he finishes each round “with no regrets and deliver everything possible with what we have.”
Oscar Piastri will replace Daniil Kvyat as Alpine’s Reserve Driver after his F2 success last season, with Kvyat instead moving on to World Endurance with G-Drive Racing.
As part of his reserve duties. Piastri will attend every race in case he is required to step in at short notice for Alonso or Ocon whilst also conducting test work at Enstone in the simulator and on selected racetracks outside of race weekends.
Piastri though is excited to get his chance to drive the A522 during the opening pre-season test in his only opportunity to drive the car for himself this season, although he could feature in selected FP1 sessions during the season.
On the prospect of working alongside Alonso and Ocon, Piastri commented: “I’m very excited to work alongside both Esteban and Fernando.
“Obviously, it’s a very unique opportunity to work with two Formula 1 drivers, especially given that Esteban is now a race winner and Fernando a double world champion.
“They represent a lot of experience to learn from, and I’m very much looking forward to the year ahead.”
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