Alpine unveils A521 car for new era as Alonso returns to F1

Alpine becomes the latest team to unveil its 2021 F1 car ahead of the new campaign. 
Alpine unveils A521 car for new era as Alonso returns to F1

Alpine has presented its new Formula 1 car, the A521, to the world in a virtual launch event.

The French manufacturer enters 2021 with a fresh look and name following its rebrand from Renault to Alpine as it looks to move further up the midfield order this season.

Alpine will field a revised driver line-up featuring returning two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and Frenchman Esteban Ocon, who scored his first F1 podium for Renault at last year’s Sakhir Grand Prix.

Remote video URL

In a drastic departure from Renault’s previous black and yellow design, the A521 has incorporated the Alpine brand’s blue, red and white colour scheme as part of a brand-new livery for the 2021 season.

Alpine’s first F1 car of the team’s new era will get its maiden on-track run out Alpine’s on Wednesday for a filming day at Silverstone, with Ocon getting behind the wheel.

Following reigning world champion Mercedes’ unveiling of its W12 earlier on Tuesday morning, Alpine is now the sixth F1 team to have launched its latest car.

Alpine heads into the new campaign bidding to improve on its fifth-place finish in the 2020 constructors’ championship, having ended its nine-year wait for a podium with three visits to the rostrum last season.

The Enstone-based outfit has undergone major changes over the winter, with former team principal Cyril Abiteboul leaving the company in a shock departure in January.

A shake-up by new CEO Luca de Meo led to the capture of ex-Suzuki MotoGP boss Davide Brivio, who has been appointed as the team’s new racing director.

Alpine’s preparations for the new season suffered a scare last month when Alonso, who is making his comeback aged 39 following a two-year hiatus from F1, fractured his jaw in a cycling accident in Switzerland.

The Spaniard has since recovered and is expected to be fully fit in time for testing and the first race in what will mark his third stint at Enstone.

Alpine unveils A521 car for new era as Alonso returns to F1

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