The new Alpine Formula 1 car for 2024, the A524, was officially presented this Thursday. It is the “weapon” with which the team hopes to regain the path towards the top that it had until 2022.
This year, there is more stability. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly will once again be the drivers. In terms of leadership, Bruno Famin faces his first season as team principal from the beginning, after assuming the position halfway through 2023. The car, which underwent several changes, has a completely new livery designed by artist Felipe Pantone, combining black with the blue tones of Alpine and the pink of the main sponsor, BWT.
Last season was the worst of the three under the Alpine brand, finishing only in sixth place with 120 points. Two third places – one for Gasly, the other for Ocon – were among the few highlights of a year that fell well below expectations. Those expectations were to repeat and consolidate the fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship, which was not achieved.
Matt Harman, technical director of Alpine, spoke at the presentation about radical changes with a “very bold approach and a completely new car from front to back.” The front wing has a “completely new philosophy,” and the braking system is “very complex” in terms of both braking and the aerodynamics associated with the temperature sent to the tires.
The front suspension has been optimized with various changes, and the chassis has been extensively revised to improve performance, driver comfort, and provide “maximum volume for aerodynamics technicians to express themselves.”
There have also been changes in the integration of the engine and exhaust system, while the transmission has lost a lot of mass in order to reduce the weight of the car, and the rear suspension has been “completely revised.”
The rear wing has undergone various adjustments based on the lessons learned in 2023, and the floor has been worked on to free up volume and give it new characteristics described as “very interesting” by Harman. The bodywork has been modified both inside and out, including some changes that reduce drag.
Take a look at some images of the Alpine A524.
