AlphaTauri fire up AT04 as New York City launch date nears

The AT04’s engine has breathed into life as AlphaTauri get set for the 2023 Formula 1 season and their car launch date.

With 10 days to go until they officially launch the car live from New York City, AlphaTauri have teased fans with what they can expect from the 2023 challenger.

From their factory in Faenza, Italy, AlphaTauri and Honda staff watched on as the car fired into life in a video released on their social media platforms, following the trend of Mercedes and McLaren.

Although the car is run by the new Red Bull Powertrains division, Honda will be again on hand to help out which explains why so many Honda staff can be seen in the short video.

Little can be seen of the car itself so fans and the world will have to wait until the launch date in the Big Apple for any clue of what to expect in the season coming.

The AT04 will be the first AlphaTauri car for Nyck de Vries after the Dutchman secured himself a full-time seat following an impressive debut at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix.

firing up the AT04 & getting ready to take on F1 2023 🤙 pic.twitter.com/t7Fi8FINjd

— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) February 1, 2023

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Having held the position of reserve driver at Mercedes for the past few years, De Vries has finally earned a much-coveted full-time spot on the grid and has been backed by his compatriot Max Verstappen to give the team “exactly” what they need.

“Nyck is a bit older and has gained a lot of experience in other championships,” the two-time World Champion told the Dutch edition of Motorsport.com.

“Nyck might have to get used to Formula 1 a bit in the beginning, as everyone has of course, but he knows perfectly how to handle a race car.

“Nyck I think also feels the car pretty well and that is exactly what AlphaTauri needs. They lose Pierre [Gasly] there, of course, and because of that they need someone with experience in general again. Someone who can get in the car and hopefully soon lead them in the right direction.”

Despite being in his rookie season, the age of both De Vries and new teammate Yuki Tsunoda suggest that the Dutchman will be expected to take on more of a leadership role than is usually expected of a first-time driver.

As for Tsunoda, team boss Franz Tost said how much the Japanese driver improves is entirely dependent on him.