The BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team has launched its A522 car for the 2022 Formula 1 season. As in 2021, Alpine will have two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix winner Esteban Ocon at the wheel of the cars for 2022. The new A522 features the famous pink of BWT, which joins the team for 2022 as title sponsor, along with new team principal Otmar Szafnauer who has moved over from the Aston Martin F1 team. Alpine also showed off a special livery for the first two races of 2022.
Special Livery For 2022’s Opening Races
The BWT pink became most famous at Force India/Racing Point, with the color becoming the primary one for that team's cars. In a nod to those liveries, Alpine will run in a virtually all-pink color scheme for the opening two races of 2022 in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Pink will feature across nearly the entire car, with a bit of Alpine blue at the rear. The team will then revert to its main blue livery with dashes of pink from the third round of the season onwards.
The Main Livery And Details Of The Car
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The main livery for the Alpine is predominantly blue, with pink featuring on the sidepods, rear wing and part of the front wing. The suits that Alonso and Ocon will wear in 2022 also feature dashes of pink across them. The car isn’t quite as intricate compared to the likes of the Ferrari F1-75, but there are interesting design details. There are gills across the top of the sidepods and down the side of the engine cover, while the rear-wing looks to be a relatively basic specification. The sidepod inlets look to be incredibly thin as well. Haas and McLaren shook down very different cars in Barcelona, Spain, today, so expect the Alpine to be a bit different come the first pre-season test.
Looking To Make Big Gains For 2022
Alpine is looking to make big gains for the 2022 F1 season. The team has reportedly focussed on performance for its new power-unit, potentially taking a small hit in the reliability department. Ocon took a shock win at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, while Alonso took third place at Qatar, as the team was able to maintain its fifth place in the Constructors' Championship from 2020. Ocon is firmly locked in with Alpine until at least the end of 2024, and a good season for the team and Alonso could keep the Spaniard at Alpine for a few more years as he seeks his third Formula 1 world title. Pre-season testing kicks off with a closed door session from February 23-25 in Barcelona, Spain.
Source: BWT Alpine F1 Team