Alpine announce Zinedine Zidane as brand ambassador at glitzy London car launch

The French World Cup winner was present in London for the launch of the A523 car on Thursday night

Zinedine Zidane has been announced as a brand ambassador for Alpine at the team’s 2023 car launch.

The France and Real Madrid legend was in the Alpine garage during last year’s Monaco Grand Prix and will join as a brand ambassador and sponsor of its equality opportunities programmes, including Rac(H)er and the Concours Excellence Mecanique.

British Olympic gold medal winning boxer Nicola Adams was also unveiled as a mentor and will coach the team’s academy drivers based in Enstone.

Zinedine Zidane was unveiled as an Alpine brand ambassador at their car launch on Thursday (Alpine)

The French team launched their 2023 challenger, the A523, in east London on Thursday night with drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon both present.

“I am very happy to be here today and happy to be part of the Alpine team. I had the opportunity to meet Laurent (Rossi, Alpine CEO) with the whole team for a Grand Prix,” Zidane said.

“We had a good exchange, and they had a project to give the opportunities to young people, to have their opportunities for all the young talent. I was interested in this project.”

Alpine, who finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship last season, have an all-French line-up this year with Gasly replacing Fernando Alonso, who has moved to Aston Martin.

Oscar Piastri had been announced as the team’s driver last summer before he dramatically declined and moved to McLaren.

“The gap to third (last year) was big and we’ve got to close that gap,” team princpal Otmar Szafnauer said.

Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon at the launch of the A523 (Reuters)

“We need less DNFs, more points, hopefully some podiums and a lot closer to third than we were in 2022. We will soon get to where want to be, and that’s fight for world championships.”

The team also launched two different liveries for the 2023 season: one all-pink suit which will be used for the first three races in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia before a return to a blue-and-pink mixture for the remainder of the campaign.

“The livery looks fantastic - it really stands out - and I’m sure it’s going to look amazing on track,” said Ocon, a Grand Prix winner with the team in Hungary in 2021.

Gasly, who has moved from AlphaTauri, added: “It’s fantastic to be officially unveiled as an Alpine driver and I’m very much looking forward to this next stage of my career.

“I am eager to see the potential and capabilities of the A523 at pre-season testing and to continue getting more comfortable with the team.”

All 10 teams have now launched their 2023 cars as attention turns to pre-season testing next week at the Bahrain International Circuit, with the first race of the new season taking place at the same circuit on 3-5 March.