F1 News: Pierre Gasly Confirmed For 2023 Alpine Move
Alpine have confirmed that Frenchman Pierre Gasly is set to join the team in 2023.
It was announced earlier in the year that Fernando Alonso will be taking Sebastian Vettel’s place at Aston Martin next year, leaving an empty seat at Alpine. There were many rumours over who would fill the seat, with many looking at Daniel Ricciardo who is leaving McLaren and has just confirmed he will not be on the grid in 2023, and Nyck de Vries who had a fantastic performance in his F1 debut sitting in for Williams, as well as current AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly.
Gasly spoke to Sky Sports F1 to explain his move to be in an all-French line-up with Esteban Ocon. He explained:
“It was a clear call and definitely very attractive. It felt the right time for me to take my own start and take my career on my own and start this incredible story with Alpine.”
Otmar Szafnauer, Alpine boss, has said:
“He brings a wealth of experience, and speed. And those are the two things we were looking for.”
Gasly has been under the Red Bull umbrella for the whole of his F1 career, driving for Red Bull and then later moving to AlphaTauri. Gasly’s current contract with AlphaTauri had already been extended until the end of the 2023 season so there have been negotiations behind the scenes in order for Pierre to exit the contract early. According to Sky Sports News, it is understood that Alpine will be paying Red Bull £8.8 million to get the Frenchman on their team.
