Gasly identifies 'best option' for empty Alpine seat

Pierre Gasly feels that Carlos Sainz is the "best option" available to Alpine, with the French outfit yet to confirm his team-mate next season.

The 28-year-old believes the Spanish driver has "slightly more to bring" than Jack Doohan and Mick Schumacher, who are also contenders for the seat, despite both already being in the Alpine stable.

Doohan will take over Gasly's car for the first free practice session at Silverstone - his second of the season after deputising for outgoing Alpine driver Esteban Ocon in FP1 for the Canadian Grand Prix. It is also understood that both Doohan and Schumacher tested an older Alpine at Paul Ricard in the build-up to the British Grand Prix, which some have 

The Australian is highly regarded within the team, with numerous reports of how impressive his simulator work has been. Schumacher, meanwhile, has two seasons of F1 experience to boast from his time with Haas.

Sainz, meanwhile, appeared to be close to signing with Williams, before sudden interest from Alpine threw his name into the mix.

"Honestly, I'll be happy no matter what," the one-time grand prix winner insisted when RacingNews365 asked for his thoughts on the vacancy alongside him.

"As a competitive person, I want the most competitive [driver as my team-mate] out there next to me and to push the team.

"I think all [are] three great options. Obviously, Carlos [Sainz] has the the added value of having a lot of experience and also experiencing strong teams - McLaren, Ferrari lately. 

"So obviously, he's got slightly more to bring and that'll obviously be [the] best option. 

"Looking at Jack [Doohan] and Mick [Schumacher], they're both very talented, very fast. They're both already included in the team, they know the guys, and I'm sure they'll fit very well."

Sainz the 'most valuable' driver available

The extent to which Sainz has stagnated the driver market has been felt throughout the paddock. 

The Spanish drivers options seemingly had been reduced to a binary choice between Stake - ahead of its transition to Audi in 2026 - and Williams, but Alpine's interest has strengthened his stranglehold, and further delayed his position.

"I think it's quite clear at the minute, you got more drivers than you got seats available," Gasly added.

"So, some guys [are] gonna stay on the sideline and I don't think we'll see a lot of movement until Carlos [Sainz], which is the most valuable guy out there at the minute, takes a decision on where he goes."