Red Bull adviser, Dr Helmut Marko, will allow Pierre Gasly to leave the Austrian team’s programme if Alpine can make the right offer.
Gasly got his dream move to Red Bull in 2019 after an impressive debut season with Toro Rosso, but he struggled up against Max Verstappen, and was replaced by Alex Albon midway through the year.
The Frenchman was demoted back to the junior side, but he earned vindication later that same season by finishing second in Brazil.
He won the Italian Grand Prix in 2020, before climbing onto the rostrum in Baku last season.
READ: Pierre Gasly reveals if ‘final details’ comment was about Alpine contract
The 26-year-old previously indicated that he will move on from the Red Bull programme at the end of his contract next season if a move to Red Bull does not materialise.
Sergio Perez then signed a new contract alongside Verstappen until the end of 2024, before Galy re-signed with AlphaTauri – the Faenza-based team’s current guise – until the end of next season.
Alpine are looking for another driver next season, and they have reportedly made Gasly their priority.
Fernando Alonso was out of contract at the end of this season, but team principal Otmar Szafnauer did not want to give him a long contract because of his age.
He also wanted to get Oscar Piastri in the car by 2025 and, just in case Alonso lost his edge next year, options were also open for 2024.
This is why the French side were trying to get him a loan deal for 2023, so that he would have some Formula 1 experience before his promotion to the race seat, so Alonso’s future was being limited by the team’s interest in the reserve driver.
However, there was no guarantee for Piastri that he would be in the seat by the start of 2025, so both drivers felt that they had been played by Alpine, and they decided to look elsewhere.
Piastri has signed with McLaren to replace Daniel Ricciardo, while Alonso will join Aston Martin in place of the retiring Aston Martin.
Should the Enstone-based side come knocking for Piastri, Dr Marko will not be the one that stops that move from happening – as long as Alpine pay the right price.
“We have a valid contract for 2023, but in the meantime there are talks, if our conditions are met, we wouldn’t stand in Gasly’s way.
“It would be a dream come true for him to drive in a French factory team, but not all the conditions have been met yet.”
Red Bull junior and Formula 2 driver, Liam Lawson, currently looks the favourite to replace Yuki Tsunoda next season if Gasly does leave.
“We’ve already thought about that, but we don’t want to announce that yet,” added Dr Marko.
“We have some people in the junior squad who have a superlicence, for the reserve driver, we would recruit someone from that.”
Another option could be Haas’ Mick Schumacher, who is reportedly set to end his connection with Ferrari at the end of the season.
However, Dr Marko would prefer to select another AlphaTauri driver from his current pool.
“He’s not an issue for us, he is – or was – a Ferrari junior, that’s why we’ve never dealt with Mick Schumacher,” he explained.
“We have our own programme. Of course, we prefer our own people.”
Andretti IndyCar driver, Colton Herta, is keen to join the circus, but he does not have enough superlicense points.
“We are not yet there, but the United States is an important market,” Dr Marko analysed.
“We have followed all that closely, if we are talking about the same person [in reference to Herta].
READ: Christian Horner reacts to Pierre Gasly joining Alpine scenario
“He has already done a Formula 1 test, he was good.
“I don’t want to get into details, let’s wait and see how this develops.”
Tsunoda is also out of contract at the end of this season, but he is expected to re-sign.