AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly has signed to race for Alpine from the 2023 Formula 1 season on a multi-year deal. The Frenchman replaces Fernando Alonso, who revealed in August that that he would move to Aston Martin next year to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel. Alpine had initially intended to promote current reserve driver Oscar Piastri to a race seat, but failed to sign a race deal with him after multiple failures, which were exclusively revealed by RacingNews365.com. The Enstone-based squad then turned their attention to Gasly, in the hope of creating an all-French driver line-up alongside Esteban Ocon in the French concern. Red Bull were wiling to let Gasly go to Alpine, provided they had a replacement ready to slot in alongside Yuki Tsunoda. They attempted to sign Colton Herta, but his lack of super licence points proved a stumbling block, with Gasly's move on hold until a suitable driver was found. AlphaTauri are set to announce the signing of Nyck De Vries as Gasly's replacement - with the 2019 Formula 2 and 2020/21 Formula E champion set for his full-time F1 debut in 2023. Sources told RacingNews365 that De Vries had signed his deal over the Singapore Grand Prix weekend.
Gasly 'excited' to start a new chapter in F1 career
Speaking about the switch to Alpine, Gasly said he was excited to start a new chapter in his career, and will be leaving the Red Bull family after nine years. "I am delighted to join the Alpine family and begin this new chapter in my Formula 1 career," one-time Grand Prix winner Gasly said in a statement. "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. "I wish to thank Red Bull as this marks the end of our nine-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 in the future."
Rossi: Gasly will 'contribute positively' to Alpine's objectives in F1
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi said the appointment of Gasly will 'contribute positively' to the team's objectives of becoming champions again in F1. "I would like to welcome Pierre to the Alpine family. He is a talented and motivated driver who will contribute positively to our objectives in Formula 1," said Rossi. "Pierre is completely aligned with the ambition and progression that has, to date, been a hallmark of the Alpine project. As a young, but highly experienced and successful driver, his trajectory is on course with our own, and we look forward to growing together."
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