Formula One’s preseason officially kicks off this week with three days of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, but all 10 teams have already unveiled their cars to the world over the past few weeks.
We saw a handful of big ‘season’ launches, as they appear now to be known — some executed better than others — and a few low-key events. Some liveries really caught the eye while others left fans feeling a little deflated.
Ferrari raises the bar
Ferrari absolutely nailed their launch. Live crowd – check. Famous backdrop – check. An actual car on track – check. The Italian team pulled out all the stops for its curtain-raising event and managed to get the feel-good factor spot on after what was a deflating 2022 season, one which finished with team boss Mattia Binotto leaving the team.
Ferrari leant into its heritage, using the hallowed ground around its headquarters at Maranello and its Fiorano test facility to take the SF-23 on track for the first time after a vibrant launch event, which started with an orchestral version of the rousing Italian national anthem and then saw both drivers given a hero’s welcome by a grandstand of tifosi as they were brought onto the stage.
Inside Ferrari’s near-perfect F1 launch
On top of it all, the small livery changes Ferrari made were spot on – the team’s name is now written in white across its rear wing.
Of course, a car livery or a launch event mean nothing in the grand scheme of a competitive season. Whether the SF-23 is the car to end Ferrari’s long wait for a championship will remain one of the biggest talking points of the next few weeks and months.
Zizou to Alpine
While Alpine’s televised launch in a soon-to-be-demolished London nightclub venue was fairly conventional, it did have one genuine ‘wow’ moment – the introduction of French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane as the team’s new ambassador. Zidane’s fee is likely not as high as it would have been in the late 1990s and early 2000s when he was one of the game’s best players, but his fame has not diminished.
Alpine has an all-French driver lineup this year, with new signing Pierre Gasly joining Esteban Ocon – both were excited to have been able to share the stage with a national hero.
“Unbelievable,” Ocon would say later of Zidane’s presence. “For you guys he’s an icon, for us, he’s everything.
“Now he’s going to be able to share his expertise with us as sportsman but also team…
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