Alpine boss wants 'more finishes, less retirements, more points'

Alpine F1 chief executive Laurent Rossi has set the minimum objectives for the team in 2023, declaring that it's vital to maintain the trajectory and momentum that saw the squad finish fourth in last year's constructors championship.

"It’s important now that we carry on with that trend," he told the media at the official team launch on Thursday evening," he said. “What I really want to see in 2023 is continued progress from the team

"Finishing fourth again is the minimum target but this time we have to do that with a much firmer grip," he added. "By that I mean with more finishes, less retirements and more points," he emphasised.

Rossi praised the work of the various departments that had resulted in the new A523, which will be powered by by the Renault E-Tech RE23 power unit.

"The respective teams led by team principal Otmar Szafnauer, chief technical officer Pat Fry, technical director Matt Harman and executive director Bruno Famin across Enstone and Viry have done an immense job in their preparation."

"I cannot wait to see the A523 on track," he added.

One big difference to the team this year is in the driver line-up, with Fernando Alonso having moved on to Aston Martin over the winter. It means Esteban Ocon will now be joined by fellow French driver Pierre Gasly, fresh from AlphaTauri.

“Our driver line-up is certainly a hot topic, not just amongst Formula 1 fans but general sports fans both in and away from France," Rossi acknowledged.

"For me it’s an exciting pairing, one of the strongest on the grid - which mixes natural talent with experience and ambition.

"Esteban has been with the team for a number of years and has always been consistent and dependable," he explained. "Pierre meanwhile embarks on a new chapter in his career.

"It will be a fantastic opportunity for them both to work together to drive the team forwards. Teamwork is going to be key to our success and I expect a great level of commitment, maturity and togetherness from everyone at the team in contribution to attaining our goals.”

• Read also: Alpine F1 Team unveils new A523 challenger

Szafnauer, who joined the team a year ago, thanked Rossi and Renault Group CEO Luca De Meo, and said it was a "privilege to be entrusted" with the stewardship of the team.

"Last season was a great year of learning and understanding, especially the complexities of the new regulations where we were able to adapt fast to bring consistent upgrades to our package

"The team met its goals, another milestone ticked on its journey, and now I look forward to seeing what we can achieve in 2023.

"It’s been an intense off-season for the team and we now look ahead to unveiling our 2023 challenger - the culmination of over 1,200 people coming together and working exceptionally hard.”

He said that the A523 was a more competitive car with improved overall reliability which had been a sore point for Alonso in 2022 and which Szafnauer himself acknowledged was "something which did let us down at times last season."

As for the driver line-up, Szafnauer was happy to extend his working relationship with Ocon for a fourth season. "I’d like to see Esteban keep making big steps forwards, which will help this team on its journey.

"This will be the first time I’ve worked with Pierre and, as I’ve said before, we signed him for this team based on his natural talent, raw speed and experience in Formula 1.

"It’s a great line-up and one which motivates this team to produce a fast and reliable race car, which will allow them both to flourish and showcase their ability.”

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