Alpine reveal 'minimum target' in McLaren fight

Alpine finished an impressive fourth in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship in 2022 and is targeting more success in the new season.

The French team beat McLaren by 14 points in the standings, leapfrogging their rivals after a rather disappointing 2021 campaign.

With Pierre Gasly joining compatriot Esteban Ocon after his move from AlphaTauri, there is a lot of excitement in the garage which signals their intention to hit the ground running and make even more progress in the new season.

“Clearly, our trajectory and momentum are on the up and it’s important now that we carry on with that trend," said Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi.

"Finishing fourth again is the minimum target but this time we have to do that with a much firmer grip and by that, I mean with more finishes, less retirements and more points.

“What I really want to see in 2023 is continued progress from the team. We ended last season on a high by finishing in a deserved fourth place in the constructors’ championship, an improvement from fifth, which we achieved the season before.

“We’re hitting our development targets on our 100-race plan, and we have a greater understanding on the new regulations as we enter this year.”

Improving reliability

Reliability saw Fernando Alonso retire on numerous occasions last year, something which – after investing heavily in new team personnel and their development programme – team principal Otmar Szafnauer is hopeful will be eradicated. We'll learn more during pre-season testing, which starts in Bahrain on Thursday.

“We’ve worked hard on developing the A523, combining all of our learnings from last season together with pure innovation to come up with what we believe is an exciting package," said Szafnauer.

“This year, we have a more competitive car and the teams at both factories in Viry and Enstone have worked well to improve the overall reliability; something which did let us down at times last season.

"We continue to grow our workforce and I see a real spark of team spirit here and a high level of motivation from everyone to push this team forward."

READ MORE: Alpine CEO: Ocon and Gasly 'one of the best driver pairings in F1'

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