25. 2. 2023
25 February 2023
BWT Alpine F1 Team rounded off its preparations for the start of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship as pre-season testing concluded at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Pierre Gasly finalised his pre-season test as he drove in the morning session on Saturday – completing 57 laps – with Esteban Ocon drawing the team’s pre-season test to a close with 76 laps in the afternoon-evening session.
The team accumulated 133 laps on Saturday to add to its double century of laps completed on the first two days.
With an eye on next weekend’s season opening Bahrain Grand Prix, the team used the C1, C2 and C3 tyres throughout the day opting to forgo the C4 and C5 compounds.
The team will now analyse the data collected over the past three days with the aim to begin the 2023 season on a high.
In numbers:
Total laps: 354
Total KM: 1,916
Esteban laps: Day 1 (53), Day 2 (49), Day 3 (76), 178 laps
Esteban KM: 963
Pierre laps: Day 1 (60), Day 2 (59), Day 3 (57), 176 laps
Pierre KM: 953
Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal, BWT Alpine F1 Team: “Today marked the final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain and we’re all feeling ready for the racing to begin next weekend. In conclusion, it’s been a very consistent and conservative pre-season test for the team where we’ve remained committed to our programme to ensure we are as best prepared as we can be for the season ahead. Of course, as is common in pre-season testing, we had some small hindrances at times, but this is the reason for testing to allow us to learn about our package. Esteban and Pierre have worked tremendously with the team and we’ll continue our hard work between now and Friday to make sure we’re in a good position to begin our 2023 season on a positive note.”
Esteban Ocon: “It’s been good to properly kick off the new season and put the A523 to the test here in Bahrain. There was much to learn during these last three days and we definitely did a good job to cover many different areas. We tried a variety of set-up items and tyre choices, and operationally we managed to have a good feel for what works well. This has given us a strong direction to follow and now we’ll have the next few days to look at data and debrief all together to be as ready as possible for the first race weekend of the year.”
Pierre Gasly: “It’s been a very intense three days for pre-season testing in Bahrain and, I must say, I’m definitely ready and excited for the first Grand Prix next weekend. For me, this week was all about continuing my familiarisation with the team and getting up to speed with the A523 on track. Our run plans have been busy with many different test items and set-up changes and while we completed so many different things, not everything is possible within the short timeframe and there’s certainly work ahead of us to keep improving our overall package. I’m proud of all the teamwork from everybody and I look forward to seeing how we fare next weekend for the race.”