Alpine has revealed the Academy driver line-up for the 2023 season with eight named in the proper list.
Alpine had four drivers in the proper Academy for the 2022 season with five other being named under its Affiliate programme. For 2023, several of those have been promoted to the main line-up after a year of showcasing their talent.
Continuing on in the proper academy are Jack Doohan and Victor Martins, both of whom will race in F2 with Virtuosi Racing ans ART Grand Prix respectively. The promotion list from 2022 has Nikola Tsolov, who will be racing in F3 with ART.
Together with him, the likes of Abbi Pulling, Matheus Ferreira and Kean Nakamura, have been given full F1 academy status where Pulling will race in F1 Academy series with Carlin, Ferreira will race in Italian F4 whereas Nakamura will continue in karting.
The two new faces to join the Alpine academy are Gabriele Mini and Aiden Neate, where the former will race in F3 with Hitech GP while the latter’s programme will be announced in due course as he is currently racing in the UAE F4 championship.
The list doesn’t feature Hadrien David who rejoined the academy last year, while Olli Caldwell has moved to the wider Alpine programme considering he will compete in LMP2 in 2023. Since the French outfit has a LMDh team, it bodes well with their expansion.
Caio Collet, meanwhile, has parted ways with Alpine but will retain the link with them even though he won’t be officially representing them. The young drivers will be looked after by Davide Brivio and Julian Rouse in the academy.
Laurent Rossi, Alpine Cars CEO: “The Alpine Academy has been strengthened and expanded for 2023 as it remains a seminal part of Alpine Racing’s ambitions in motorsport, said Laurent Rossi. ”While Formula 1 remains the pinnacle, we have adopted a fresh approach to the Academy from this year to expand opportunities under the Alpine umbrella where we have presence across many motorsport disciplines.
“We are dedicated to progressing drivers through the racing ranks to open up a greater talent pool across our racing teams. Of course, ultimately, the best talent have ambitions of reaching Formula 1 and that remains the objective, but by expanding our vision we will create opportunities to identify, nurture and help our young drivers become accomplished racing drivers who will represent the Alpine brand on a global scale. I’m excited to see what the 2023 drivers can achieve, and I look forward to following their respective seasons very closely.”
Meanwhile, Brivio noted: “It’s been a privilege to be able to contribute to the Alpine Academy and I think 2023 has the potential to be a very exciting year. We have eight drivers spread across different racing categories all with high ambitions and high targets. Every year that goes by, we see our drivers grow and mature both on and off the track.
“A key element of 2023 is counting on Alpine’s dedication to motorsport to offer our drivers experience and opportunities. We will work closely with the Alpine Endurance Team and, of course, with the Formula 1 team to push our drivers to adapt, learn and ultimately become better race drivers. It’s a great moment to be involved with the Academy, so let’s see what the year brings.”
And finally, Rouse added: “The 2023 Alpine Academy line-up is arguably the most competitive it’s ever been. It’s been great to expand our roster to eight drivers and be able to represent Alpine across many disciplines. In Formula 2, we have two drivers in Jack and Victor who both have the potential to be fighting near the front. It’s the same in Formula 3 with Nikola and Gabriele who I expect will be competitive from the get-go.
“Away from the Formula 1 support categories, we’re looking forward to seeing what Abbi, Matheus, Aiden and Kean can achieve across their respective series. I’m pleased to see Olli progressing into the sportscar world with us and this is just the start of a much closer and collaborative project where we at the Academy aim to count on the expertise of Alpine’s various racing divisions to give our drivers experience and opportunities. There are exciting times ahead and we’re all looking forward to working closely with our 2023 drivers.”
Here’s the full list:
Jack Doohan (Virtuosi Racing) & Victor Martins (ART) – Formula 2
Nikola Tsolov (ART) & Gabriele Mini (Hitech GP) – Formula 3
Matheus Ferreira (Van Amersfoort Racing) – Italian F4
Abbi Pulling (Carlin) – F1 Academy
Kean Nakamura (Kart Republic) – European Karting
Aiden Neate – TBC
Here’s Alpine completing its shakedown
Here’s Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon’s first shoot together
Here’s Laurent Rossi on expectation from Pierre Gasly
Here’s Otmar Szafnauer on power unit situation
