Learn To Love It: Scuderia AlphaTauri Reveal Their 2023 Challenger
via AlphaTauri
NEW YORK CITY, New York (PSF) — Scuderia AlphaTauri are now the fifth team to release their livery for the 2023 F1 season in a launch video shot in New York City. The Red Bull sister team will look to push their car into solid points positions to fight to the top of the midfield as best as they can. The driver lineup this season consists of returning Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda to go alongside Nyck de Vries who gets his first crack at Formula 1 in a full time seat. De Vries is a former Formula 2 Champion as well as a former Formula E Champion who made his F1 race debut last season in Monza filling in for Alex Albon in his Williams, and he was able to score two points in a car that was slow and unreliable all season. De Vries is certainly no rookie and even more so, no slouch.
With Orlen jumping from Alfa Romeo to AlphaTauri becoming their main sponsor, the Orlen presence is certainly felt looking at this livery that will be seen on the AT04 challenger. With the new sponsor, red can be seen on this car for the first time since the team was formerly named Torro Rosso. AlphaTauri retain their signature navy blue and the light grey that adorned the 2021 season’s car. However, the major differences in this car other than the incorporation of the red, is how dark the car feels this season. The navy being a major player in the livery blends well into the black floor as well as the sides of the rear and front wing. The enlarged AlphaTauri logo also adds a nice dimension to the livery that seems to fit well into the shape of the car. Another nice addition that seems to be a trend this season are the grey spike design on the wheel covers along with an inner red circle to match the other red Orlen logos that brings the car together nicely. One thing I could go without is the Flex Box logo that is on the side plates of the front wing. The large orange X’s on the Flex Box logo contradict the otherwise well established color scheme of navy, grey, and red. It is just too loud and I would rather the Flex Box logo just be altered to be all white, but I’m sure Flex Box paid good money for their logo to remain as is.
Unfortunately, we won’t see what the official AT04 will look like until they unveil the design close to testing in Bahrain. I do, however, enjoy see the unraveling of the cosmetic design that we will see on track this season. At first glance, I did not like this livery. When I think about AlphaTauri, I do not think red, and the grey color just felt weird to go along with the newly introduced Orlen red. It is a bold look for a team that will look to be bold to move up the grid this season. The wheel cover design is also a great way to get me to see the livery favorably. I can see how people can dislike this car as it is certainly a different look we are not used to as Formula 1 fans. As the season goes on, I am sure fans will learn to love the look just as I did.
