First pictures: Alpine A523 hits the track in pre-season test

The Alpine A523 appeared on-track for the first time this morning as Formula 1 pre-season testing began at Bahrain International Circuit.

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Alpine launched their 2023 contender in London last week, with a shakedown taking place at Silverstone a few days prior in secrecy. While the car was spotted at the circuit, it was unclear at the time whether it was the design the team would take to testing.

The A523 retains the notably wide air intake of its immediate predecessor, and Alpine have gone aggressive with the design of their exhaust housing at the rear of the car, with the sidepods dropping underneath it. Like other teams it has followed the trend of removing the supporting struts for the front wing and having it connected directly to the nose cone.

New signing Pierre Gasly got the first run in the A523 at Bahrain, and he will hand over the car to team mate Esteban Ocon for Thursday’s afternoon session. The pair will continue to rotate driving duties during the sessions on Friday and Saturday.

More pictures of the new Alpine A523 in our Bahrain test gallery