Alpine announces launch date for 2021 F1 car
Alpine has announced the launch date for its 2021 Formula 1 car after completing a successful fire-up at its Enstone factory last week.
Following the rebranding of the former Renault operation over the winter, Alpine will present its new F1 car, the A521, to the world on 2 March.
It makes Alpine the seventh team to confirm its launch plans ahead of the new season, leaving only Red Bull, Haas and Aston Martin still to finalise a date to unveil their cars.
Alpine will enter the new season with a fresh image and a fresh driver line-up as two-time world champion Fernando Alonso joins the team for a third stint at Enstone.
Alonso will partner the incumbent Esteban Ocon, who scored his first F1 podium for Renault at last year's Sakhir Grand Prix.
There have also been some notable changes at management level for the French marque, with former Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul leaving in January.
Former Suzuki MotoGP boss Davide Brivio has joined in the role of racing director, while it is anticipated that existing executive director Marcin Budkowski will step up to become team principal.
Laurent Rossi has also taken up the role as CEO of the entire Alpine operation, reaching across to its road car division as well.
Alpine completed a successful fire-up of the new car last week, and is now in the process of finalising plans ahead of the car launch next month. The team will be launching on the same day as Mercedes.
An interim Alpine livery was revealed last month at a Renault Group event, but will be replaced by the full season colour scheme that is set to be unveiled at the launch event.
Concerns were flared for the team's pre-season preparations when Alonso was involved in an accident while cycling in Switzerland last week. The Spaniard required corrective surgery after fracturing his upper jaw, but has since been discharged and is expected to be fully fit for the start of the new season.
The Alpine A521 car will complete its first extended run-out at the start of pre-season testing in Bahrain on 12-14 March, two weeks before the start of the new season.
2021 F1 car launches
| Team | Date |
| Mercedes | March 2 |
| Red Bull | |
| McLaren | February 15 |
| Aston Martin | March |
| Alpine | March 2 |
| Ferrari | March 10 |
| AlphaTauri | February 19 |
| Alfa Romeo | February 22 |
| Haas | |
| Williams | March 5 |
Related video
Red Bull open to building own F1 engine from 2025
First look: How the 2021 McLaren-Mercedes compares with MCL35
The factors that could negate Red Bull's practice gap to Mercedes
Mercedes led the way in practice for Formula 1’s first race in Jeddah, where Red Bull was off the pace on both single-lap and long runs. But, if Max Verstappen can reverse the results on Saturday, factors familiar in motorsport’s main electric single-seater category could be decisive in another close battle with Lewis Hamilton...
Why Norris doesn’t expect Mr Nice Guy praise for much longer
Earning praise from rivals has been a welcome sign that Lando Norris is becoming established among Formula 1's elite. But the McLaren driver is confident that his team's upward curve can put him in the mix to contend for titles in the future, when he's hoping the compliments will be replaced by being deemed an equal adversary
What Ferrari still needs to improve to return to F1 title contention
After a disastrous 2020 in which it slumped to sixth in the F1 constructors' standings, Ferrari has rebounded strongly and is on course to finish third - despite regulations that forced it to carryover much of its forgettable SF1000 machine. Yet while it can be pleased with its improvement, there are still steps it must make if 2022 is to yield a return to winning ways
How F1 teams and personnel react in pressurised situations
OPINION: The pressure is firmly on Red Bull and Mercedes as Formula 1 2021 embarks on its final double-header. How the respective teams deal with that will be a crucial factor in deciding the outcome of the drivers' and constructors' championships, as Motorsport.com's technical consultant and ex-McLaren F1 engineer Tim Wright explains.
How getting sacked from Benetton made Mercedes' Allison
He’s had a hand in world championship-winning Formula 1 cars for Benetton, Renault and Mercedes, and was also a cog in the Schumacher-Ferrari axis. Having recently ‘moved upstairs’ as Mercedes chief technical officer, James Allison tells Stuart Codling about his career path and why being axed by Benetton was one of the best things that ever happened to him.
The remarkable qualities that propelled Kubica’s F1 comeback
It’s easy to look at Robert Kubica’s second Formula 1 career and feel a sense of sadness that he didn’t reach the heights for which he seemed destined. But as Ben Anderson discovered, performance and results are almost meaningless in this context – something more fundamental and incredible happened…
The humbling changes Ricciardo made to deliver for McLaren
From being lapped by his own teammate in Monaco to winning at Monza, it’s been a tumultuous first season at McLaren for Daniel Ricciardo. But, as he tells STUART CODLING, there’s more to the story of his turnaround than having a lovely summer holiday during Formula 1's summer break...
The potential benefits of losing the F1 constructors' title
As the battle continues to rage over the F1 2021 drivers' championship, teams up and down the grid are turning their attentions to the prize money attributed to each position in the constructors' standings. But F1's sliding scale rules governing wind tunnel and CFD use will soften the blow for those who miss out on the top places