More carbon fibre on display as Alpine showcase 2024 livery
Alpine F1 are the latest team to release their 2024 car and the result is another batch of carbon fibre. The A525 was presented as part of an event at Enstone which also saw the release of Alpine’s World Endurance Championship car.
Estaban Ocon and Pierre Gasly will continue as Alpine’s drivers in the car with a predominantly black livery and hints of blue and pink taken from the brand’s previous challengers.
As a weight saver, carbon fibre is a crucial component which makes up modern F1 cars. However, its use in the launches of Williams, Haas, Sauber and now Alpine has caused something of an uproar on social media with fans complaining of a lack of colour and creativity seen in the liveries so far.
We can only hope other teams provide a splash of colour for this year’s grid or else I fear we’ll be squinting to tell the teams apart for the majority of the races. Slightly tongue in cheek, yes, though I am now looking forward to Ferrari’s launch more than ever.
Alpine will be looking to improve on last season’s sixth-place finish in the constructor’s championship. Gasly and Ocon also have an opportunity to put themselves in the mix for a potential drive at Mercedes in 2025, due to the impending departure of Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari. Jack Doohan will again serve as the team’s Reserve Driver for the 2024 season.
Alpine also embarks on its first season in the Hypercar category of the World Endurance Championship as a factory team, racing its much anticipated A424. The two car lineup is headlined by the addition of Mick Schumacher who joins experienced driver Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxiviere in car #36. New signings Ferdinand Habsburg, Paul-Loup Chatin and young talent Charles Milesi - now in his second season - will race in car #35. Jules Gounon will act as the reserve driver for the 2024 season.
The A242 will be on track in Qatar for the season prologue and the first race of the season later this month, while the A524 will have its shakedown on February 20th before heading to Bahrain for official pre-season testing a day later.
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Alpine