Among the French remains a thing. Alpine has finally announced a driver that will partner Esteban Ocon for the 2023 season; Pierre Gasley. This is not a big surprise as it is one of the options that have been considered for weeks in the absence of Red Bull finding a replacement in its youth team.

French duo

In this way, Alpine, a French structure albeit with a factory in Enstone, United Kingdom, will have two French drivers of the same generation, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, who do not have the best relationship. . Gasly signed with an option contract option in Formula 1, a famous multi-year that left more questions than answers.

Pierre Gasly arrived in Formula 1 at the end of 2017, making his debut with Toro Rosso, who chose him to fill the gap from Carlos Sainz who wanted to leave, oddly enough, Renault, and who also wanted to let go of Daniil Kvyat. In 2018 he will play his first full season in Formula 1, arriving the following year his big chance; Red Bull.

The departure of Daniel Ricciardo left a hole in the first team that the Frenchman covered. Pierre fell short of expectations and lost far to Max Verstappen, with Red Bull deciding to return him to Toro Rosso after just 12 races. There he achieved what he couldn’t do with the first team, getting on the podium.

Since then, Pierre is on track to complete three more seasons at the Faenza team, who did not hesitate to execute the renewal clause for 2023. However, given the option to go to the factory team and little hope for a future at Red Bull, the energy drinks team has opened up. the road to Alpine, which will be the third team he drives.

“I’m delighted to join the Alpine family and start a new chapter in my Formula 1 career. Driving for a team with French roots is something very special. I know Alpine’s strengths have been racing against them in recent years and obviously their progress and ambition has been impressive. I want to thank Red Bull as this marks the end of our 9 year journey together. Thanks to their trust and support, I became a Formula 1 driver, and what we have achieved with Scuderia AlphaTauri in the last few years is very special. Looking forward, I want to give everything and use all my experience to fight for the podium and ultimately contribute to Alpine’s fight for championships in the future.”said Pierre Gasly.

“I would like to welcome Pierre to the Alpine family. He is a talented driver who will positively contribute to our goals in Formula 1. Pierre is fully motivated by the ambition and progress that have characterized the Alpine project to date. As a young rider, but with great experience and success, the track is in line with ours, and we hope to grow together.”added Laurent Rossi.

Substitute Fernando Alonso

“I am very happy that Pierre is joining the team for 2023 and beyond. He is already a proven talent in Formula 1, and we look forward to developing him within the team. Our team has several goals for the coming season and I firmly believe that our line-up is a great reflection of the team’s lofty ambitions. I am sure that Pierre and Esteban can, together, motivate the team to continue its progress towards this goal. We would also like to thank Red Bull for agreeing to the terms to allow Pierre to take this step.”Otmar Szafnauer concluded.