Since Alpine entered Formula 1 in 2021, following the rebrand of Renault, the team have been consistently impressive.
The French team finished as the best of the rest team in 2022, however they are still yet to break into the top three and truly compete with Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.
Esteban Ocon picked up a shock win at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix while Fernando Alonso stood on the podium in Qatar but other than these two results, podium finishes have been difficult to come by.
There has been clear progression from the team however, improving their points tally from 2021 by 18 points last year, leapfrogging McLaren in the process.
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With the exciting driver pairing of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon competing for Alpine this season, Renault CEO Luca de Meo has outlined the team’s goals for 2023.
“I think we did progress the first two seasons,” he said at Alpine’s A523 launch.
“So our ambition is to move closer to the top, we are here for the long term, we are here to create a top team, we are here to create a solid team.
“I have the feeling speaking to Laurent [Rossi], to Otmar [Szafnauer], to Pat [Fry], to everybody that they are getting stronger and stronger together. I think they had a good time during the winter, they could work without a lot of issues, and so I’m pretty optimistic that we will continue the path.
“I hope that we get closer to the top guys. We had a certain distance last year, the gap is large, so we have room for improvement.
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“That’s our mission and maybe, Esteban and Pierre can get us a couple of podiums, that will make our Sunday even more joyful.”
Both Gasly and Ocon have stated that they are confident of forming an effective and respectful relationship during their time together with Alpine, claiming that they have both matured since their issues in the junior series.
Alpine’s first goal for 2023 will be to hold on to the best of the rest spot, with a number of teams such as McLaren and Aston Martin tipped to improve this year.