Alpine has revealed the first livery of its post Renault era, and the car two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso will drive on his comeback.
The Alpine Formula 1 Team has presented their 2021 F1 car after the team which was previously known as Renault F1 Team rebranded during winter.
The Alpine A521 was revealed in a launch video in its new colours, sporting the traditional blue of the niche French car brand, after an interim black livery was shown last month.
Renault’s relationship with the Alpine brand goes back more than 50 years and it has owned the company since a takeover in 1973. Renault Sport was created from a merger of Alpine and Gordini in 1976.
In a racing context, Renault partnered with Signatech Alpine to create a successful LMP2 prototype and team that utilises the Alpine name, and has twice won the class in the World Endurance Championship.
Production of Alpine models ceased in the 1990s but the revival of Alpine as a manufacturer has been mooted many times in recent years and the A110 model was relaunched in 2017.
On Tuesday afternoon the team presented their 2021 F1 contender which has numerous changes compared to the 2020 F1 car.
The first change is of course the name with the Renault name disappearing. This means the naming system for the Alpine Team has also changed. Back in 2020 they had the Renault R.S.20 and the car presented today is the Alpine A521 meaning they picked the naming system from a 1975 F1 prototype, the A500.
The new car also has a blue livery now compared to a car that they revealed back in January that had a black livery.
“It is a true joy to see the powerful, vibrant Alpine name on a Formula 1 car,” said Renault CEO Luca de Meo. “New colours, new managing team, ambitious plans: it’s a new beginning, building on a 40-year history.”
When Renault re-entered Formula 1 five years ago, the aim was to fight for the world title within five years. That has not happened by a long shot and, despite the talent of Esteban Ocon and reinforcements from Fernando Alonso and Davide Brivio, it is unlikely to happen next season. 2021 can therefore be seen as an interim year.
