BWT Alpine F1 Team officially welcomed its new A522 to the world today in Paris, ushering in a new era of Alpine excellence and sporting prowess ahead of the much anticipated 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. The A522 keeps its striking Alpine blue livery, coupled this year with the iconic pink colours of BWT, the team’s recently announced title partner for 2022. In a twist to the night, BWT Alpine F1 Team also presented a ‘flipped’ livery with pink becoming the most prominent colour. This unique livery will be used for the first two races of the season, highlighting the new partnership with title partner BWT.
The presentation of BWT Alpine F1 Team’s second ever Formula 1 car was led by Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi, CEO Renault Group, Luca de Meo, as well as newly appointed Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer. Drivers Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso were also on hand to reveal the much anticipated A522 to the world. This new-look team will target further progression in 2022, after Alpine impressed in its debut campaign in Formula 1 last year.
The technical teams at Enstone will continue to be led by the recently promoted and experienced duo of Pat Fry, Chief Technical Officer, and Matt Harman, the new team’s Technical Director. Across the channel in Viry-Châtillon, the team has recently appointed Bruno Famin as Executive Director of Alpine Racing, tasked with maximising engine performance and integration into the chassis.
Staff in both factories have worked non-stop for the past 18 months to create the A522 against the backdrop of sweeping regulation changes introduced for the 2022 campaign. The collaboration between the two bases has been key in bringing the A522 to life. Alongside a completely new chassis and car build, the team is proud to showcase its all-new RE22 power unit, marking yet another chapter in the French car manufacturer’s illustrious heritage in Formula 1. The engine specification and packaging has allowed the team some extra freedom in shaping the rest of the car to better exploit the latest technical regulations and adjust for the new fuel specification, E10, as the next step to sustainable fuels in Formula 1.
BWT Alpine F1 Team continues with the same driver line-up a second season. Esteban – now a race winner in Formula 1 – enters his third year in a row powered by a Renault engine, while Fernando embarks on a historic and potentially record breaking twentieth season in Formula 1.
Oscar Piastri is the team’s official Reserve Driver for 2022 after graduating from the Alpine Academy last year. The Australian driver is fresh from winning the 2021 FIA Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship.
Esteban and Fernando will take the reins of the A522 at the team’s filming day tomorrow at the Circuit de Catalunya, before embarking on pre-season testing later in the week.
Laurent Rossi, CEO, Alpine
“It’s with great pleasure that we launch our A522 to the world today, marking the next chapter in Alpine’s Formula 1 journey. We are proud racers and have poured the essence of Alpine’s racing heritage and passion into this new generation of car. We have a clear plan and vision in place at Alpine and we have some of the best people in the business to help drive us forward and realise our ambitions. Our team is stronger now and, we hope, future-proof. Our driver line-up is the perfect recipe to help deliver the results we want to achieve on track. In 2022, we want to show constant progress with comprehensive developments across all sites to ensure we are contenders for the title in the future. We are going in the right direction and we want to carry on our climb to the summit.”
Esteban Ocon, BWT Alpine F1 Team driver
“I’m very excited, of course, to not only see the A522 for the first time but to drive it for the first time this week. It’s always a privilege to drive a new Formula 1 car for the first time as you know all the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes at both factories in Enstone and Viry from all of the many talented people working in the different departments there. That feeling and responsibility is truly unique and very special. I feel prepared, I feel ready physically, so let’s hit the track and see what 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 to be ready for the new season. The build-up has been a long time coming after the rule change was delayed due to the pandemic. The car looks fantastic with the new regulations in place and I like the new livery. We have a new engine and we’re confident we had a good development in place for this new generation of car. We won’t know where everyone stands until Bahrain, but we’re excited to take the car for its first spin in testing this week. I hope the new regulations have worked and we get more exciting wheel to wheel racing this year.”