Formula 1
F1 tech review: Alpine drifts despite inventive solutions
Alpine couldn’t maintain its healthy start to this new regulatory phase, having dropped to sixth place in this year’s Formula 1 Constructors’ standings from fourth in 2022.
Matt Somerfield Giorgio Piola
Edited: Jan 5, 2024, 11:30 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Giorgio Piola's F1 technical analysis
Giorgio Piola is the preeminent Formula 1 technical journalist. View our full selection of Giorgio's technical illustrative content
While the team continued to develop solutions that could later be found on its competitors machines, those great ideas weren’t cohesive enough to prevent them from being marooned on a points island of their own in the middle of the midfield pack.
Let’s take a look at some of the A523’s finer details and how the team developed their package throughout the course of 2023…
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Alpine A523 front wing detail
An overview of the A523’s front wing from pre-season testing, which featured flaps with a similar distribution across their span. We’re also treated to a view of some of the inboard suspension elements with the vanity panel left adrift.
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Alpine A523 steering wheel technical detail
A look at the A523’s steering wheel, with the various buttons, rotaries and switches used to control the power unit and chassis settings.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 brake drum detail
Without the front brake drum in place we’re able to see that the caliper is placed in the forward position on the A523. Teardrop-shaped holes in the fairing allow airflow/heat to pass through the assembly.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 technical detail
A close up of the mid floor edge cutouts which are very similar to the arrangement used by Red Bull in 2022.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 technical detail
A close up of the rear floor cutout, along with the tab-like winglet that sits in the gap and is connected to the skate beneath the floor.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 technical detail
Alpine’s rear wing at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix featured a narrow central section that was deeper than the outboard sections of the wing.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 technical detail
A large cooling gill panel was utilised on the side of the engine cover to help manage temperatures.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 technical detail
A close up of the rear corner on the A523 shows us the stepped lower edge employed on their rear brake duct winglet, whilst a bi-plane style beam wing arrangement was also in use. The beam wing’s slatted upper element sat further forward and under the exhaust’s tailpipe, whilst the lower element sat further back and was mounted on the side of the crash structure.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 technical detail
A look at the forward floor section and floor fences, with the notable inclusion of a bib winglet on the A523 too.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 technical detail
A look inside the rear brake drum shows how the team used a heat-treated fairing to cover the brake disc.
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Alpine A523 front wing detail with sensors
In Azerbaijan the team trimmed a notch out of the front wing’s upper flap at the inboard end to help balance the car front-to-rear given its choices at the rear of the car.
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Alpine A523 rear wing comparison, Azerbaijan GP
The lower downforce rear wing assembly used by Alpine in Azerbaijan featured a mainplane and top flap design that featured leading edges pushed back from their comparable position as they met the endplate.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 technical detail
The DRS actuator and linkage is visible here as the cover has yet to be installed.
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Alpine A523 monkey seat detail
A small, additional winglet could be found mounted to the trailing edge of the A523’s exhaust wrapping central pillar arrangement at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 technical detail
A close up of some of the A523’s inboard suspension elements.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 technical detail
An overview of the A523’s rear end in Monaco, with a high downforce rear wing and beam wing employed, while the maximum cooling gill arrangement on the engine cover is also in use.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 front wing detail
A great view of the A523’s front wing from behind allows us to see some of the details we’d not normally be privy to.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 rear detail
A more gradual spoon-shaped rear wing was employed at the Canadian Grand Prix as the team looked to match the demands of the circuit. It was also the first outing for their open-ended tip section design.
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Alpine A523 rear wing side comparison
In order to alter the behaviour of the rear wing’s tip vortex, Alpine introduced an open-ended flap solution, whereby the flap extended across the wings span, providing an extra shedding surface and altering the cutout in the rear corner of the endplate.
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Alpine A523 front wing comparison
Alpine made the switch to a tapered flap solution at the British Grand Prix, altering the interaction with the endplate (inset, right) and likely providing more of a desirable outwash effect. The team also toyed with various upper flap designs to cater for the downforce demands of different circuits, such as the wavy trailing edge first seen in Hungary, inset.
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Alpine A523 technical detail
An overview of both front wing configurations, with the new tapered variant at the bottom of the image.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 detail
A look at the A523’s bib as the car is prepared for action at the Belgian Grand Prix and it’s left disconnected from its support.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 technical detail
A look beneath the A523’s covers at the packaging of the power unit and its ancillaries.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 diffuser detail
Tufts were added to the beam wing at the Italian Grand Prix as the team looked to gather some real world data regarding the performance of their car.
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Alpine A523 sidepods mirror detail
The mirror housing on Alpine’s A523 had two large vortex generators placed atop them at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Photo by: Uncredited
Alpine A523 rear wing detail
A close up of the swage line on the lower half of the rear wing endplate that the team started the season with.
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Alpine A523 front wing comparison
The team reverted to its front wing design from earlier in the season at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with the flap distribution altered (yellow highlights) and flap adjuster also moved (red arrow).
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Alpine A523 detail
Sensors placed on the floor ahead of the rear tyre to gather data for the team and help them correlate their simulation tools and the information gathered from the real-world environment.
Photo by: Filip Cleeren
Alpine A523 technical detail
Alpine used a low downforce rear wing and single element beam wing configuration in Las Vegas.
Here’s the list of the components that Alpine listed as having changed in the car presentation document prior to each race.
-
Saudi Arabia
-
- Beam wing
-
-
Australia
-
- Halo winglets / fairing
-
-
Azerbaijan
-
- Floor
- Front suspension fairing (upper wishbone)
- Rear suspension fairings
- Rear wing
- Front wing (trim)
-
-
Miami
-
- N/A
-
-
Monaco
-
- Front suspension
- Sidepod (deeper gulley)
- Floor edge
- Rear wing
- Beam wing
-
-
Spain
-
- N/A
-
-
Canada
-
- FBD (inlet)
- Rear suspension (nose down geometry)
- Rear wing
-
-
Austria
-
- N/A
-
-
Great Britain
-
- Front wing
-
-
Hungary
-
- Front wing (Stepped edge)
-
-
Belgium
-
- Front wing
- Floor - fences, canoe ramps and diffuser mouse hole
-
-
Netherlands
-
- N/A
-
-
Italy
-
- Beam wing
-
-
Singapore
-
- Sidepod inlet
- Cooling louvres
- Beam wing
-
-
Japan
-
- N/A
-
-
Qatar
-
- Floor body (taller diffuser sidewall cutout)
- RBD lower flick
- Cooling louvres (FP1 - really for Mexico)
-
-
USA
-
- N/A
-
-
Mexico
-
- Deeper mid louvres
- Larger rear cooling outlet
-
-
Brazil
-
- N/A
-
-
Las Vegas
-
- Front wing
- Beam wing
- Rear brake duct winglets removed
-
-
Abu Dhabi
- N/A
Read Also:
Formula 1F1 tech review: Williams claws up from the back of the grid
Formula 1F1 tech review: AlphaTauri makes inroads with big plans ahead
Formula 1F1 tech review: Charting Alfa Romeo’s slide down the order
Formula 1F1 tech review: How Haas placed last despite upgrade push
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Hamilton: Podium celebration dream a driving force in F1 motivation
Next article F1 steering wheels: How they work, what the buttons do and more
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Matt Somerfield
Gallery: How F1 tech evolved during the 2024 season
Formula 1
Formula 1
Gallery: How F1 tech evolved during the 2024 season
How McLaren’s rear wing push changed the game in F1
Formula 1
Formula 1
How McLaren’s rear wing push changed the game in F1
How 2026 F1 rules will help avoid identikit designs
Formula 1
Formula 1
How 2026 F1 rules will help avoid identikit designs
More from
Alpine
‘I’m sideways all the time’ – How Alpine’s feral F1 car plagued Pierre Gasly in Singapore
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
‘I’m sideways all the time’ – How Alpine’s feral F1 car plagued Pierre Gasly in Singapore
Could Alpine-Geely deal to save WEC hypercar programme fall through?
WEC
WEC
Barcelona
Could Alpine-Geely deal to save WEC hypercar programme fall through?
Latest news
"Not allowed, not made possible": Was BMW denied its title chance?
DTM
DTM DTM
Hockenheim
30 min
"Not allowed, not made possible": Was BMW denied its title chance?
Max Verstappen: FAQ on his GTWC Europe debut
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 39 min
Max Verstappen: FAQ on his GTWC Europe debut
Pedro Acosta: "I'm going to Ducati to learn from Marc Marquez, not to beat him on same bike"
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Indonesian GP
1 h
Pedro Acosta: "I'm going to Ducati to learn from Marc Marquez, not to beat him on same bike"
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe