French footballing legend Zinedine Zidane has been unveiled as a surprise ambassador for the Alpine Formula 1 team.
The footballing icon - widely considered one of the best players of all time - made a shock appearance tonight as Alpine revealed their car for the 2023 season at an event in London.
It was widely expected that the striking new A523 car would be the main attraction of the evening but the glitzy Alpine launch had one more surprise for everyone when Zidane was announced as a newly-appointed member of the team.
Most recently the manager of Real Madrid, the 50-year-old was brought up on stage at the event to speak in front of the assembled audience.
“I am very happy to be here today and to spend a great evening with you,” he said in French. “I have seen great things and I’m ever so happy to be part of this team, to be part of the Alpine team and to be with you tonight.”
He then followed up his initial words by reiterating in English: “My English is very bad.” That generated a number of laughs from the audience still processing the Champions League winner’s sudden appearance.
His new role as an ambassador for Alpine adds some extra stardust to a team who will be hoping for great things with the new Formula 1 season fast approaching.
Their car was the final one on the grid to be revealed and they closed the launch season off in style with the A523. The car will feature a predominantly blue and pink livery for most of the season, but it will also run a pink model for the first three races in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia.
Alpine’s hopes for the season also rest partially in another new face with Pierre Gasly, who replaced two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, joining the outfit as a driver this year.
Gasly and team-mate Esteban Ocon - an all-French driver pairing for the French team - were both present at the glamorous launch event and the team remain adamant they are here to make a mark in the sport.
"We are here for the long term," said Renault CEO Luca de Meo, with Alpine a luxury sub-brand of Renault. "I hope that we get closer to the top."
Team boss Otmar Szafnauer also added: "The gap to third was big and we've got to close that gap. We need less DNFs, more points, hopefully some podiums and get a lot closer to third than we were in 2022. We will soon get to where we want to be, and that's fight for world championships."
Alpine’s car is an evolution of last year’s model - like most of the teams’ vehicles this year - and they will hope their Renault engine can help deliver the results they crave.
The 2023 F1 season begins at the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5.
