Weekly #5: The news to remember in F1 these past 7 days
Every week, Motors Inside reviews the news to remember from the past 7 days. With a little delay due to our presence at the pre-season testing in Bahrain, here is the essential information we should remember from last week.
Alpine presents its A523 with Zinédine Zidane.
Alpine was the last team to unveil its Formula 1 car for the 2023 season. The Dieppe-based brand, which features a duo of French and Norman drivers, went to London to organize a major event. In addition to the presentation of the A523, the team unveiled its Racer program aimed at improving equal opportunities in motorsport and specifically launched a program to support female drivers.
Alpine unveils two liveries.
The big announcement that caused a sensation, however, is the involvement of Zinedine Zidane. The former player of the French national team and 1998 World Champion has indeed become an Ambassador for the French stable for a duration of 4 years.
> Zidane becomes Alpine ambassador
Find the news of the week in video.
The FIA commission announces some changes.
The FIA commission announced changes for the 2023 Formula 1 season. Among these changes, the following information can be found:
A new rain tire from Imola.
A new, more efficient rain tire will be available starting from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola and will not require the use of tire warmers.
Radio messages allowed as soon as the training lap.
Radio exchanges are highly regulated. The FIA relaxes the rule by allowing communication with the driver as soon as the formation lap.
An increased budget for 2023
The budget for the 2023 F1 season slightly increases, with an additional 600,000 euros for each of the 2 races beyond the initially planned 21 races in the financial regulations. Our calculations indicate that the total budget is now set at 155 million euros, as the FIA does not disclose the exact amount.
Modified circuits
To improve safety, some circuits will be modified like Jeddah which was already catching the attention of drivers since its arrival on the calendar in 2021. Some other circuits will be resurfaced.
The winter tests
The winter tests started in Bahrain this week, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Lance Stroll, who got injured while cycling during training, has been replaced by Felipe Drugovich and may miss the first race of the season.
We will make a special report on his trials tomorrow.
> See the summary of day 2
The burnt Haas from Grosjean’s accident is on display.
During his terrible accident, where Romain Grosjean was trapped for 28 seconds in his flaming Haas, the car had suffered enormous damage before the fire was finally extinguished. This car, undoubtedly one of the most frightening scenes in recent years in F1, will be part of a display at an F1 exhibition in Madrid.
> All the details of the F1 exhibition in Madrid
