F1: Alpine Academy announce biggest ever line-up for 2023

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.

Formula 2

Jack Doohan and 2022 Formula 3 Champion Victor Martins will feature in Formula 2. Doohan, son of five-time Moto GP World Champion Mick Doohan, is remaining with Virtuosi Racing after the 20-year-old Australian finished sixth in the standings last year, while Frenchman Martins continues with ART Grand Prix off the back of their F3 title success last season.

Formula 3

Gabriele Mini joined the academy off the back of the Italian’s second-place finish in the Formula Regional European Championship and has signed with Hitech Pulse Eight for his debut F3 campaign. Bulgarian racer Nikola Tsolov has earned full Academy status after netting the Spanish F4 title having previously been an Affiliate member, and has signed for ART in the third tier.

Others

Alongside Tsolov, Abbi Pulling, Matheus Ferreira and Kean Nakamura have also become fully-fledged Academy members. 19-year-old Pulling is the sixth F1 Academy driver announced, competing for Carlin in the all-women series. Ferreira will take his first steps into single-seaters, as the Brazilian will be racing in the Italian F4 Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing, while 15-year-old Japanese racer Nakamura remains in karting.

Britain’s Aiden Neate has been added to the program after finishing third in the UAE F4 Championship and sixth in British F4. The 16-year-old is currently ninth in Formula Regional Middle East Championship with one round remaining. Graduating from the program, Olli Caldwell will get his LMP2 debut, driving for the French manufacturer in the World Endurance Championship.

“The 2023 Alpine Academy line-up is arguably the most competitive it’s ever been. It’s been great to expand our roster to nine 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,” Julian Rouse, Alpine Academy Director.

“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.”