10.07.2023A mix of design ideas from other Formula 1-cars in blue and pink

In summer 2020 it was announced that Fernando Alonso would return to the Formula 1-team of Renault and would contest the season alongside Esteban Ocon. From the following season, the team was called the Alpine F1 Team. The vehicle with which the two pilots started their second joint season in 2022 is the Alpine A522. Today's blog post is about exactly this eye-catching Formula 1-car in the colors blue and pink. Minichamps has launched the model in scale 1:18 and limited it exclusively for ck-modelcars. While Fernando Alonso's vehicle is limited to just 333 units, Esteban Ocon's vehicle is limited to just 111 units. The A522 from Minichamps, which is particularly striking in terms of color due to the main sponsor BWT, has a cockpit that is faithfully reproduced and in which the respective driver figure has been integrated. The models, made of high-quality resin, are delivered in a collapsible folding box.

The fact that the French from Alpine would like it to be a bit more conspicuous was already evident in the season 2021, when they attracted attention with a very voluminous airbox. It was almost foreseeable that the A522 would not become an inconspicuous car in 2022 either. The livery consists of the colors blue, the pink of the Austrian main sponsor BWT, a little red and a little black. The head of Alpine Laurent Rossi gives himself and his team 100 races to make it to the world championship title. If you take a closer look at the vehicle, you can almost think that it represents the combination of some design ideas from the other teams. The slim nose, which docks with the first of the front wing flaps, is reminiscent of the McLaren. The sidepods, which are heavily undercut in the front area, are reminiscent of the Red Bull design. On closer inspection, the narrow cooling inlets bear a certain resemblance to those of Ferrari.

In terms of engine, the engineers had to make up for two years of standstill compared to the competition. The result was a new Renault V6 turbo engine. The turbine and the compressor of the engine are separated from each other in the new design, as with Mercedes. When it comes to the suspension, the Alpine F1 Team works with a pushrod system at the front and a pullrod system at the rear. If you look closely, you can see a feature that no other car in Formula 1 has. The lower wishbones on the rear axle are offset quite a bit from the upper wishbones. If you look at the car from a bird's eye view, this becomes clearly visible. At the end of the season, Fernando Alonso is eighth and his teammate Esteban Ocon is ninth. Alonso scored points in a total of 15 races and won the internal duel against Ocon with 81 to 74 points. In the Constructors' Championship, the Alpine F1 Team has improved from fifth to fourth place compared to the 2021 season.

produkter

	Fernando Alonso Alpine A522 #14 Australien GP formel 1 2022 1:18 Minichamps	149,95 €
	Esteban Ocon Alpine A522 #31 Australien GP formel 1 2022 1:18 Minichamps	149,95 €