BWT ALPINE F1 TEAM REVEALS STRIKING A522 TO THE WORLD AS NEW CHAPTER BEGINS IN FORMULA 1

The presentation of BWT Alpine F1 Team’s second everFormula 1 car was led by Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi, CEO Renault Group, Luca deMeo, as well as newly appointed Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer. Drivers EstebanOcon and Fernando Alonso were also on hand to reveal the much anticipated A522to the world. This new-look team will target further progression in2022, after Alpine impressed in its debut campaign in Formula 1 last year.

The technical teams at Enstone will continue to beled by the recently promoted and experienced duo of Pat Fry, Chief TechnicalOfficer, and Matt Harman, the new team’s Technical Director. Across the channelin Viry-Châtillon, the team has recently appointed Bruno Famin as ExecutiveDirector of Alpine Racing, tasked with maximising engine performance and integrationinto the chassis.

Staff in both factories have worked non-stop for thepast 18 months to create the A522 against the backdrop of sweeping regulationchanges introduced for the 2022 campaign. The collaboration between the twobases has been key in bringing the A522 to life. Alongside a completely newchassis and car build, the team is proud to showcase its all-new RE22 powerunit, marking yet another chapter in the French car manufacturer’s illustriousheritage in Formula 1. The engine specification and packaging has allowed theteam some extra freedom in shaping the rest of the car to better exploit thelatest technical regulations and adjust for the new fuel specification, E10, asthe next step to sustainable fuels in Formula 1.

BWT Alpine F1 Team continues with the same driver line-upa second season. Esteban – now a race winner in Formula 1 – enters his thirdyear in a row powered by a Renault engine, while Fernando embarks on a historicand potentially record breaking twentieth season in Formula 1.

Oscar Piastri is the team’s official Reserve Driverfor 2022 after graduating from the Alpine Academy last year. The Australiandriver is fresh from winning the 2021 FIA Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship.

Esteban and Fernando will take the reins of the A522at the team’s filming day tomorrow at the Circuit de Catalunya, beforeembarking on pre-season testing later in the week.

Laurent Rossi, CEO, Alpine:“It’s with great pleasurethat we launch our A522 to the world today, marking the next chapter in Alpine’sFormula 1 journey. We are proud racers and have poured the essence of Alpine’sracing heritage and passion into this new generation of car. We have a clearplan and vision in place at Alpine and we have some of the best people in thebusiness to help drive us forward and realise our ambitions. Our team is strongernow and, we hope, future-proof. Our driver line-up is the perfect recipe tohelp deliver the results we want to achieve on track. In 2022, we want to showconstant progress with comprehensive developments across all sites to ensure weare contenders for the title in the future. We are going in the right directionand we want to carry on our climb to the summit.”

“I’m very excited, of course, to not only see theA522 for the first time but to drive it for the first time this week. It’salways a privilege to drive a new Formula 1 car for the first time as you knowall the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes at both factories inEnstone and Viry from all of the many talented people working in the differentdepartments there. That feeling and responsibility is truly unique and veryspecial. I feel prepared, I feel ready physically, so let’s hit the track and seewhat we’ve got in our hands this year!”

Fernando Alonso, BWT Alpine F1 Team driver:“It’s good to be back and I’ve been working hard tobe ready for the new season. The build-up has been a long time coming after therule change was delayed due to the pandemic. The car looks fantastic with thenew regulations in place and I like the new livery. We have a new engine andwe’re confident we had a good development in place for this new generation ofcar. We won’t know where everyone stands until Bahrain, but we’re excited totake the car for its first spin in testing this week. I hope the newregulations have worked and we get more exciting wheel to wheel racing thisyear.”