Alpine enthusiastic about Gasly's arrival: 'A proven talent within F1'

Szafnauer: 'Gasly is a proven talent within F1'

Fernando Alonso made the unexpected announcement in August that he would leave for Aston Martin in 2023. Alpine actually wanted to bring in Oscar Piastri, but the young driver opted for a contract at McLaren.

It soon became clear that Alpine had the main candidate in mind, namely Pierre Gasly. However, the question was whether the Frenchman could get out from under his contract at AlphaTauri. With the arrival of Nyck de Vries, Gasly was free to make the switch to Alpine. He has signed a multi-year contract as Esteban Ocon's new teammate.

"I’m very happy that Pierre will be joining the team for 2023 and beyond. He is already a proven talent within Formula 1, and we are looking forward to harnessing that within the team. Our team has several objectives for the coming seasons and I firmly believe our driver line-up is a great reflection of the team’s high ambitions," Otmar Szafnauer said in the press release.

"I trust Pierre and Esteban can, together, motivate the team to continue its progress towards these goals. We would also like to thank Red Bull for agreeing on the terms to allow Pierre to take this step," said the Alpine team boss.

'Gasly is an experienced and successful driver'

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi added: "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. 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.”