Alpine F1 had a difficult season last year as they most often finished outside the points. Arguably, their sole highlight of the season was that solitary podium finish for Esteban Ocon during the Monaco GP. After a P6 finish in the Constructors’ championship last year, the French team has now come out with a bold statement. They have revealed to the fans that they have had a massive overhaul in terms of their 2024 challenger – the A524.
Alpine revealed the A524 and the colors they would be running on February 7. Underneath the predominantly black, blue, and pink livery, however, lies a completely revamped car, as compared to the A523, according to the team’s technical chief, Matt Harman.
Only the steering wheel has been carried over from last year, says Alpine tech chief Matt Harman. They’ve gone aggressive with the design and he says they have a ‘relentless’ in-season development plan #F1 https://t.co/m8VbWFxIBx
— Lawrence Barretto (@lawrobarretto) February 7, 2024
F1 journalist Lawrence Baretto quoted Harman as revealing, “Only the steering wheel has been carried over from last year.” The A524 broke the covers at a ‘Motorsport Launch’ event for the team where they even revealed their WEC challenger for the 2024 season.
Speaking about the A524, Harman went on to reveal (as quoted by Formula1.com), “The A524 approach has been aggressive but deliberate in the fact we are creating a wider scope to add performance to the car.”
While the launch event was a huge success, fans mostly trolled the team on social media for the choice of going majorly with a black livery. This is because many teams are now employing this tactic to save crucial weight when it comes to their race cars.
Alpine start 2024 season with one major tactical move
As soon as the covers were off of Alpine’s 2024 car, keen-eyed fans noticed a major attribute of the A524. While the team did retain their ‘classic‘ blue and pink theme, the majority of the car was black, without any paint, and covered in carbon fiber.
While the choice to keep the carbon fiber unpainted is an obvious tactic to save weight, this marks a departure from their previous liveries as the team ran a predominantly blue livery with accents of pink to pay homage to their sponsor BWT.
Oh hi Mick!
The former Haas driver and 2020 F2 champion is at the Alpine launch today, as he prepares to race for the team in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) pic.twitter.com/NvPMW8AiRb
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) February 7, 2024
Due to BWT’s involvement, however, the first eight races of the season will be decorated by the team with a livery that is predominantly pink. However, post that, the team will revert to the livery they showcased to the fans during their launch event.
As for their performance, no one expects Alpine to make a huge step in closing down the gap to the top five teams. However, after the stark management change they’ve witnessed, many will be keen to see how the team progresses. Will they completely collapse? Or will the change of hierarchy help the team challenge for the top places more often in 2024?
