What Alpine still hides about the A523
No, ladies and gentlemen, Alpine did not showcase the real A523 on Friday night during its presentation in London. While it is normal to keep one's cards close to the chest for a Formula 1 team, a spy photo taken at Silverstone gives us some clues about the actual A523 that will be seen in Bahrain in a few days.
Alpine presented its new Formula One car, the A523, in London. While the technical director took a lap in the car, explaining the key changes, the ceremony didn’t actually feature the real A523. Instead, an upgraded version of the A522 was showcased to meet regulatory constraints.
To hide one’s game.
Alpine, like all the teams, has hidden its cards well during the presentation of the A523. The team showcased two A522 cars (from 2022) on the stage, complying with the 2023 regulatory specifications. This year, the regulations are evolving and involve minor, less visible changes such as an increase in ride height and front wing, a more rounded safety halo above the driver, a reduction in certain components on the front wings or sides of the flat floor, and larger rearview mirrors.
So it is a 2.0 F1 2022 that was presented in front of the guests and journalists on Friday evening. And for good reason, with the Bahrain test starting next Wednesday, the real Alpines A523 of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly are already at the airport to transit to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Indeed, the team will have to assemble the two cars as early as Monday in order to be ready to race with two cars by Wednesday morning. So there is no reason to take the risk of keeping the Formula 1 cars in London on a Friday evening, given the potentially significant logistical constraints.
A spy photo, photoshopped 3D renders.
A spy photo was taken at Silverstone during the official testing of the actual A523, as allowed by the FIA. This photo shows the actual components that the French team concealed from the press on Friday during the unveiling, as well as during the release of the official photos.
As shown in this comparison, we can see several elements that are quite different from the 3D renders officially released by Alpine compared to the spy photo taken at Silverstone on Wednesday during the test drive.
The different framed areas highlight the true aspects of the A523.
On this second photo, an officially transmitted 3D rendering by Alpine, one can even notice a yellowish color difference in certain areas simply erased. This naturally concerns sensitive and highly competitive areas.
It involves in particular concealing the front suspensions, the details of the flat floor, the engine hood, and of course the air extraction of the rear diffuser.
