Minichamps 1:43 Alpine A523 – Pierre Gasly, Bahrain GP 2023 Art. 417230110

A 1:43 model of the Alpine A523 as raced by Pierre Gasly at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, in the BWT blue and pink livery. Limited to 384 pieces. Resin, in a protective display case.

Two French drivers who had not spoken in years, in a French team

Alpine's 2023 line-up paired Gasly with Esteban Ocon, and the two had a history that went back to karting, where they had been team-mates and then rivals, and which had continued into Formula One with on-track collisions and an interview or two that made things worse.

By the time Alpine signed Gasly, the pair had reportedly not spoken properly for several years. The team put them together anyway, because both were French, the team is French, and the alternative was letting one of them go to a competitor.

They were asked about it constantly, gave carefully diplomatic answers, and then collided with each other in Melbourne in the third race of the season — putting both cars out and costing Alpine a double points finish. The team principal's public comments afterwards were not diplomatic.

They subsequently got on considerably better than anyone expected, which is the less interesting half of the story.

Gasly

He arrived at Alpine having won the 2020 Italian Grand Prix for AlphaTauri — one of the genuine upsets of the modern era, taken from ninth on the grid in a midfield car after a safety car and a penalty for Lewis Hamilton. It remains the last win by a team outside the top four.

In the range

Set 417230131 is Ocon's car from the same race.

Specifications

Scale: 1:43 · Limited to 384 pieces · Resin · Protective display case · Age: 15+