Alpine launch 2022 F1 car: Striking new blue and pink look revealed with colour ‘flip’ plan in place

Alpine are penultimate team to launch their car, with A522 revealed two days before first pre-season test; Blue and pink livery due to new title sponsor in BWT, while car will be predominantly pink for opening two races

Alpine have revealed a striking new livery on their 2022 Formula 1 car and a unique colour ‘flip’ plan for the opening races, as the French team look to make a big leap up the order in their second campaign.

The main A522 look is predominantly blue but also has large splashes of pink as Alpine, formerly known as Renault, celebrate a new title sponsor in BWT, who previously brought their colours to the Aston Martin team.

Alpine’s new main look for the 2022 season

In an added twist, it was revealed during Alpine’s launch that the colour scheme will ‘flip’ for the first two races of the season, meaning a dominant-pink look for the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs.

Launched two days before the season starts in earnest with winter testing, Alpine are the ninth team to formally unveil their new challenger, designed to the new regulations aimed at revolutionising wheel-to-wheel racing.

They say the car unveiled in Paris was a show car, with the team to shakedown their ‘real’ challenger in Barcelona on Tuesday before the winter test.

The ‘flipped’ pink car Alpine will use for the first two races of the season

Alpine finished fifth in the constructors’ standings last year, their first following Renault’s rebrand, with that result largely down to an unlikely race win for Esteban Ocon in Hungary.

Ocon is again joined by two-time world champion Fernando Alonso this season, with the Spaniard – who joined the team last season and impressed – openly admitting that the team’s success in maximising the new rules is what he’s back in F1 for.

“I came back because of this regulation,” said Alonso. “I think the team did an amazing job, so we are all very motivated.”

The changes in F1 aren’t the only big ones Alpine are contending with in 2022, as they have also made significant alterations behind the scenes.

Otmar Szafnauer, formerly of Aston Martin, is in as team principal – with Marcin Budkowski leaving his role – while another experienced F1 technical chief Pat Fry is in at Alpine as chief technical officer.

“I look forward to helping them beat not just the Aston Martins of this world but everybody else on track,” said Szafnauer, with Aston Martin likely to be one of Alpine’s main rivals.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said last week that he is “not discounting any teams” from running at the front this year, and Alpine will hope to make the most of the rules reset and challenge closer to the front than last year.

Alpine the latest to reveal car as first test looms

Alpine’s launch means nine of the 10 cars have been launched, while even Alfa Romeo – whose official reveal date is on Sunday and after pre-season testing – have completed a shakedown in their car.

Most teams have also been on track with their new challengers, giving a first glimpse of the new-look cars in action.

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George Russell takes to the track for the first time in the Mercedes F1 W13 at Silverstone

Alpine’s shakedown is the day after their launch on Tuesday, less than 24 hours before the first winter test begins in Barcelona.

There are three days of action at the Circuit de Catalunya from Wednesday morning until Friday evening, and with so many changes it provides crucial running and data for the teams, while fans will also get a look of a potential new pecking order for the sport.

While the first test is not televised, Sky Sports F1 will still have you covered.

On all three evenings, there will be a testing wrap featuring the highlights and best bits from the day on Sky Sports F1 at 8pm, while Ted Kravitz is back with Ted’s Notebook at 8.30pm.

A dawn-to-dusk live blog will also be available on the Sky Sports digital products for every day of testing, along with features, insight and reviews from Barcelona.

Regular updates from Barcelona will be published on our social accounts, while Craig Slater will be delivering reports from the Circuit de Catalunya for Sky Sports News.