The Alpine Academy have announced a new expanded line-up of junior drivers for the 2023 season. Eight drivers will compete across six different racing categories, ranging from Formula 2 to the new F1 Academy. Jack Doohan and Victor Martins are retained after previously being in the Academy in 2022. Both will continue to race in F2 for Virtuosi Racing and ART Grand Prix respectively. In Formula 3, Gabriele Mini joins the Academy and will compete for Hitech Grand Prix, while fellow F3 driver Nikola Tsolov – racing for ART Grand Prix – becomes an Academy Driver following an introductory year as an Alpine Affiliate. After impressing in W Series, Abbi Pulling is now an Academy Driver as she prepares to compete in the inaugural F1 Academy season for Rodin Carlin. Matheus Ferreira and Kean Nakamura will also make the step up to the Academy, while Aiden Neate is the third new member of the programme. Elsewhere, Olli Caldwell will graduate from the Academy as he makes his LMP2 debut for the team in the World Endurance Championship, while Caio Collet retains a connection to the Alpine Racing family without official Academy affiliation.
Alpine Academy 'most competitive it's ever been'
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi has stated that the Academy has been "strengthened and expanded" for 2023, adding: "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." Julian Rouse, Alpine Academy Director, believes that the Alpine Academy now has its strongest line-up yet. "The 2023 Alpine Academy line-up is arguably the most competitive it's ever been," Rouse commented. "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." Alpine are set to launch their 2023 F1 car in London on 16 February.
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