Alpine A521

Alpine A521
Fernando Alonso in the A521 during the British Grand Prix
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorAlpine
Designer(s)Pat Fry (Chief Technical Officer)
Matthew Harman (Technical Director)
Simon Virrill (Chief Designer)
Benjamin Norton (Project Leader)
Dirk de Beer (Head of Aerodynamics)
James Rodgers (Chief Aerodynamicist)
PredecessorRenault R.S.20 (as Renault)
SuccessorAlpine A522
Technical specifications[1]
EngineMecachrome-built and assembled Renault E-Tech 20B 1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injection V6 turbocharged engine limited to 15,000 RPM rear mounted
TransmissionRenault 8-speed + 1 reverse semi-automatic sequential
PowerMore than 950 hp (710 kW)[2]
FuelBP
LubricantsCastrol
TyresPirelli P Zero (dry),
Pirelli Cinturato (wet)
Competition history
Notable entrantsAlpine F1 Team
Notable drivers
Debut2021 Bahrain Grand Prix
First win2021 Hungarian Grand Prix
Last win2021 Hungarian Grand Prix
Last event2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
RacesWinsPodiumsPolesF/Laps
211200

The Alpine A521 is a Formula One car designed by the Alpine F1 Team which competed in the 2021 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by Fernando Alonso, marking his return to the sport, and Esteban Ocon. It was the first to be fielded under the team's Alpine name.[3][4]

Livery

The car was run in French blue with a French flag pattern towards the rear. Alpine ran a special livery for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to commemorate their 100th race with one of their sponsors Castrol.[5] During the first practice session in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Alpine's name in the rear wing of both cars was replaced by the phrase "El Plan" (Spanish for "the plan"), referencing an internet meme created by Alonso's fans in the wake of his return to Formula One.[6][7]

Season summary

Ocon at the British Grand Prix

The A521 proved to be a competitive car, securing 155 points during the season, allowing Alpine to finish 5th at the Constructors' Championship, picking up a victory and two podiums in the process. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ocon achieved his first victory in Formula One and Alonso secured his first podium since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix at the Qatar Grand Prix.[8][9]

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year Entrant Power unit Tyres Driver name Grands Prix Points WCC pos.
BHR EMI POR ESP MON AZE FRA STY AUT GBR HUN BEL‡ NED ITA RUS TUR USA MXC SAP QAT SAU ABU
2021 Alpine F1 Team Renault
E-Tech 20B 		P Spain Fernando Alonso Ret 10 8 17 13 6 8 9 10 7 4 11 6 8 6 16 Ret 9 9 3 13 8 155 5th
France Esteban Ocon 13 9 7 9 9 Ret 14 14 Ret 9 1 7 9 10 14 10 Ret 13 8 5 4 9
Reference(s):
Notes

† Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as they had completed over 90% of the winner's race distance.
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance completed.

References

  1. ^ "Alpine A521". alpinecars.com (in French). Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Alpine A521 - Alpine". Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  3. ^ "What's underneath that bold new livery? Our first tech take on the Alpine A521 | Formula 1®". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Alpine A521 F1 car unveiled following winter rebrand". www.autosport.com. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Alpine show off new-look livery for Saudi Arabian GP weekend". RacingNews365. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  6. ^ "¡Alpine lleva EL PLAN de Alonso en su coche en Abu Dhabi!". es.motorsport.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  7. ^ "¿Qué es EL PLAN? Fernando Alonso y la Fórmula 1 2022". es.motorsport.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  8. ^ Saunders, Nate, ed. (1 August 2021). "How Esteban Ocon overcame chaos to win the Hungarian Grand Prix". ESPN. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  9. ^ Richards, Giles (21 November 2021). "Lewis Hamilton dominates F1 Qatar GP to cut Max Verstappen's title lead". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2024.


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