Pierre Gasly’s decision to leave Red Bull and sign for Alpine for 2023 seems like a move made in heaven for all involved parties.
The move will see Gasly race for an all-French team, while Alpine are getting themselves a driver with undoubted talent and experience in a Formula 1 car.
Team CEO Laurent Rossi has claimed that it was the Frenchman’s speed out on the track that made him the outstanding candidate to partner Esteban Ocon in 2023.
“Performance was the number one criteria. Today, our car is the fourth on the grid, which means in general we are aiming for 5th, 6th, 7th places in general.
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“He was the fastest of the available drivers, or even the drivers who were not available,” explained Rossi.
“Pierre has demonstrated in the very recent past with a car that is not so good that he knows how to climb onto podiums and sometimes the highest step,” he continued, eluding to Gasly’s shock win in Monza with AlphaTauri.
With Gasly reportedly signed to a multi-year deal it is clear that Alpine see their own development running in tandem with that of the 26-year-old.
On a consistent rise up the grid, Alpine, who were formally Renault, will be hoping that Gasly is the man to help them continue their rise in the near future.
“He is also young so he is the perfect candidate to help us grow, to grow himself, to help us grow with him and go higher than the 5th, 6th, 7th,” the team CEO stated.
Gasly has recently gone on record talking about how the eagerness of the French team to sign him heavily influenced his decision.
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It is thought that Red Bull set a high price for Gasly, meaning it would have taken a colossal effort to sign the Frenchman, with Red Bull not likely to have negotiated a cheap release.
With the 2022 season coming to a close, the French driver will be hoping to exit the Red Bull system on a high.
With AlphaTauri currently level on points with Haas, Pierre will hope he can part ways with the team after driving them to a finish above the American team in the final four races.