Formula One’s contract silly season just got a tad sillier.
Pierre Gasly is turning the page in his Formula One career.
The Frenchman will head over to Alpine in 2023 on a multi-year contract, filling the vacancy left by Fernando Alonso. This marks the first all-French lineup on the F1 grid since 1995 as Gasly will compete alongside Esteban Ocon. Nyck de Vries will replace Gasly next season, AlphaTauri confirmed.
“I am delighted to join the Alpine family and begin this new chapter in my Formula 1 career. Driving for a team that has French roots is something very special. I know the strengths of Alpine, having raced against them over the past couple of years and clearly, their progress and ambition is very impressive,” Gasly said in a statement. “I wish to thank RedBull as this marks the end of our 9-year journey together. It is thanks to their trust and support that I became a Formula 1 driver, and what we’ve achieved with Scuderia AlphaTauri over the last years has been very special.
“Looking ahead, I want to give the maximum and utilise all my experience to fight for podiums and ultimately contribute to Alpine’s fight for championships.”
Gasly has been part of the Red Bull family for nine years, including five full-time seasons spent in Formula One. Fresh off of the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup, the Frenchman signed with Red Bull as a part of its Junior Programme, but the team wanted him to complete his studies first. Just over a year later, he passed his final exam and jetted off to England to practice in the simulator.
The Frenchman made his F1 debut at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix with Scuderia AlphaTauri (then known as Toro Rosso) before joining the team full-time in ’18. He did have a chance to compete for the senior team alongside Max Verstappen in 2019, but he was demoted midseason back to AlphaTauri. Later that same season, Gasly recorded his first F1 podium and built on that with his first win during the 2020 campaign. The Monza victory marked the first win by a French F1 driver in over two decades.
Speculation arose throughout the 2022 season about whether Gasly would leave the Red Bull family given that it did not look like he would have a chance at being promoted to the senior team any time soon. Verstappen inked a new extension earlier this year that will keep him with Red Bull through 2028, and Sergio Pérez signed a two-year extension of his own after winning the Monaco Grand Prix.
In wake of Pérez’s deal, Gasly said in early June he would “consider all options” after the 2023 campaign, which is when his contract was set to expire. He confirmed a few weeks later that he would stay with AlphaTauri for next season; however, that did not stop the silly season rumor mill.
A clip from Ferrari’s Belgian Grand Prix review video started making its rounds on social media of Gasly, Charles Leclerc and George Russell talking while heading to the drivers’ parade. The Frenchman could clearly be heard saying, “I’m still working on the final details of the contract.” Sky Sports News reported earlier that week that Alpine “made enquiries” about the Frenchman with Red Bull.
Russell, though, appeared to ssay “married” before the Frenchman’s comment. The AlphaTauri driver said ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix that this was the true context of the video.
“If you guys would have any idea the subject we were talking about, you would probably laugh,” Gasly said. “Definitely, I can guarantee you it was nothing about Formula One.”
He went on to add, “George was talking about marriage, or wedding things, so you can figure out it wasn’t F1 related.”
However, throughout the reports, Red Bull was reportedly open to the idea of Gasly leaving if there was a suitable driver to replace him. One of the names that has surfaced is Nyck de Vries, who recently confirmed on the Dutch TV show Humberto op Zaterdag that he has spoken with Alpine and Williams as well as Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko.
Moments after Gasly and Alpine’s announcement, AlphaTauri confirmed de Vries would join the team in 2023.
Gasly fills the vacancy left by Alonso, who is headed to Aston Martin. Before the Hungarian Grand Prix, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel announced he will retire at the end of the 2022 season. Aston Martin confirmed after the race weekend that Alonso would race for them in 2023. A day later, Alpine shared that Oscar Piastri would compete for the French manufacturer; however, the driver said otherwise. The Contract Recognition Board later upheld Piastri’s contract with McLaren, who had “mutually agreed” to part ways with Daniel Ricciardo a year early.
There are still other F1 seats open on next year’s grid: Williams and Haas.
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