Gasly describes ‘very good’ feeling as Alpine conduct Silverstone shakedown with 2023 F1 car
Alpine hit the track with their new Formula 1 challenger, the A523, at Silverstone on Monday, leaving new signing Pierre Gasly encouraged about its potential after his initial running.
As preparations ramp up for the new campaign, Alpine took the opportunity to complete 100km running with their 2023 car as part of a filming day and shakedown, ahead of the machine being revealed to the world on February 16.
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Continuing driver Esteban Ocon took to the wheel first, hitting the track at 0900 local time and completing nine laps, before handing over to Gasly – who has arrived from AlphaTauri – for eight more tours of the British Grand Prix venue.
Alpine reported that the outing went “without any issues” as the team ticked off another important pre-season milestone following their recent fire-up.
Speaking afterwards, Gasly said: “It’s a fantastic feeling to be driving again, especially in my new colours of Alpine. Today was about getting an initial feel for the car and it felt very good on the laps I drove.
“I know everyone at the team has worked tirelessly to develop the car over the winter and it’s a proud moment to drive it today and see everyone’s faces in the garage. I’m looking forward to the launch on Thursday and then learning even more about the car at testing.”
Ocon added: “It’s not until you get back out on track in a Formula 1 car that you realise how much you miss it! It was an honour to drive the A523 today and experience first-hand all the hard work and improvements that have gone into this car.
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“A big thank you to all the women and men at Viry and Enstone for reaching this milestone and seeing the car on-track for the first time. The first lap is always a memorable one and I’m glad today went smoothly.”
Alpine will be back in action during pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit from February 23-25, with the opening round of 2023 coming a week later.
After finishing fourth in the 2022 constructors’ standings, Alpine will be looking to break into F1’s top three teams this year, with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton recently marking them out as a team to watch.
