Towards a French driver duo at Alpine?
With Alonso's departure to Aston Martin at the end of the season, the Alpine team has still not officially announced the driver who will accompany Esteban Ocon next year. Pierre Gasly appears to be a highly credible candidate despite his contract with AlphaTauri.
The Red Bull junior driver had been confirmed for next season at AlphaTauri by Helmut Marko himself. Pierre Gasly, who has always been a driver for the Austrian team, could finally spread his wings and join Alpine next season. This is according to the media outlet Motorsport.
Helmut Marko even stated: “There is no exit clause for Gasly. There wasn’t one before the summer break, and there won’t be one after the summer break.” However, the situation seems to have changed in recent days, and a departure of Gasly is possible.
The boss of the Alpine team, Otmar Szafnauer, had publicly insisted that the Enstone team will not consider other drivers until the contract recognition committee discusses the Oscar Piastri case on Monday. However, Motorsport reveals that Alpine has already expressed interest in Gasly to Red Bull.
Gasly replaced?
Helmut Marko is considering hiring Mick Schumacher, who may be released by Haas by the end of the season. This move at AlphaTauri also means that there would be a German within the Red Bull program before Porsche’s arrival in 2026.
It is also possible that Marko is surprisingly interested in the IndyCar leader from Andretti Autosport, Colton Herta, who already has a contract with McLaren. Helmut Marko was seen alongside Zak Brown on Saturday afternoon in Spa.
However, a problem arises. Colton Herta currently does not have a super license that would allow him to race in F1 in 2023…
Is Ocon ready to work with Gasly?
The two drivers are not known to be the best of friends, but there is still respect between the two Frenchmen. Esteban Ocon had stated in a press conference that it was not a problem to work with Pierre if the opportunity arose.
« It’s going well, we respect each other. I think that’s the most important thing. »
The two drivers have known each other since they were very young and have grown up in motorsport together.
When he (Gasly) was very young, maybe seven or eight years old, my parents were friends with his parents. One day, I was driving go-karts and he was playing football. So my father said, ‘Why don’t you try Esteban’s go-kart?’ And after that, he quit football! So, since the beginning of my career, we have essentially known each other.
More information should be disclosed in the coming hours or days. The decision of the contract recognition committee in the Piastri case is expected to be made public this Monday. Another domino is expected to fall and generate movement within different racing teams.
