Pierre Gasly has been a part of Red Bull’s Formula 1 setup since he entered the sport in 2017.
He was given the chance to drive to Red Bull’s sister team Toro Rosso, where he impressed bosses.
After only 22 races at Toro Rosso, Gasly had impressed the Red Bull hierarchy so much he was the chosen man to replace the outgoing Daniel Ricciardo in the main team in 2019.
Unfortunately, the Frenchman never set the world alight at Red Bull, struggling with the constant comparisons to teammate Max Verstappen and was subsequently demoted after only half a season back to the sister team, now AlphaTauri.
Gasly bounced back as many expected he would, relishing the role to be the main driver at the team, time after time defying expectations.
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He even shocked the world in 2020 by winning the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
Next season, however, the Frenchman will be racing for Alpine to create an all French line-up for the also French brand, alongside Esteban Ocon, a decision that Gasly believes is came at the perfect time.
Gasly believes that the stars have aligned with this move, with Alpine’s trajectory matching his own.
“Just based on where I am in my career, based on Alpine’s ambition, based on their progress over the past few years. Just getting better and better every season, they have this strategy to be fighting at the front over the next 100 Grand Prix, and they are just going in the right direction,” he said in a recent interview about his move.
The 26-year-old was unlikely to be given a second chance at Red Bull so it comes as a step up on the grid for Gasly, hence why he was so keen for the move.
“It’s obviously a big move for me, I’ve been with Red Bull for nine years, pretty much my entire career with them.
“It definitely feels like closing a chapter and starting on a new journey.
“To me, I must say, it felt very natural and very quickly the right decision to make.”
In such a cut-throat sport, Gasly says the love he feels from those at Alpine was a big factor that contributed to his decision.
“That was definitely one of the most important, let’s say, criteria for me, which made it very clear for me that I should go there, is how strong their will was to get me out of Red Bull and to get me in that car.”
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Red Bull had set a high price for Gasly’s release and the one-time Grand Prix winner appreciates Alpine’s efforts.
“They made it very clear straight away they had to work very hard in terms of negotiations, it was not an easy deal to make between all parties involved,” he explained.
“And it just felt like straight away they really pushed so hard to get me, and they really believe in that project.”