The 2023 F1 season is heating up day by day as we approach the preseason testing round in Bahrain. And adding wood to the fire this time is Alpine, with its first run on the track behind closed doors at the Silverstone track in the UK. Both the drivers, also once rivals, got their hands on the wheel as the team continued to prepare for the A523 challenger launch on February 16th, 2023.

The team has brought on Pierre Gasly to partner with Esteban Ocon for the season. And the Frenchman coming in from AlphaTauri is excited after the first drive with the Enstone-based outfit in the team’s challenger, which eyes a higher finish and an entry into the top 3 after a P4 finish in the constructors’ championship last year.

The driver said that it was a “proud moment” for him after he had driven the car around the 3.6-mile-long circuit. Speaking about his experience in the car, Gasly, as quoted by Planet F1, said, “It’s a fantastic feeling to be driving again, especially in my new colors 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 on 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.”

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Gasly coming in place of Alonso brings new energy to the team. However, they’ll surely miss Fernando Alonso’s experience, given how the team outperformed McLaren despite endless reliability issues.

Esteban Ocon praises the team’s efforts

Esteban Ocon was the first of the two drivers to get his hands on the steering for nine laps before he handed off the A523 to Gasly. And expectedly, he expressed his delight.

He said, “It’s not until you get back out on track in a Formula 1 car that you realize how much you miss it! It was an honor 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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Alpine is going into the season with lots of hopes. They faced difficulties early in the season because the car was unreliable from preseason testing onward, which extended into the early rounds of 2022. But with at least a P3 finish in mind, the bigger challenge for Otmar Szafnauer and the squad will be to manage the drivers, which appears to be going well so far.