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AlphaTauri has announced Pierre Gasly will drive for the team again in 2023, in the wake of Red Bull re-signing Sergio Perez.
Gasly’s hopes of being reinstated in the Red Bull senior team were dashed when it emerged after last month’s Monaco Grand Prix that Perez had earned a new deal running to the end of 2024.
It was subsequently stated by Gasly that he needed to discuss with Red Bull what his options were, amid suggestions he had an option in his contract – which runs to the end of 2023 – to leave a year early if he did not get a Red Bull Racing seat.
This was effectively scotched by AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost in Canada last weekend when he said Gasly would 100% drive for the team again in 2023 because he is under contract.
AlphaTauri has now confirmed this is the case, citing Gasly’s “excellent working relationship” and reputation as a “very strong qualifier”.
“He is definitely in the group of the best and most competitive drivers in F1 and has proven his abilities during all the time he has spent with us,” said Tost.
“Pierre can undoubtedly play a major part in our having a successful season next year and it will be down to us to provide him with a competitive car, so that he can continue to deliver excellent results.”
However, unsurprisingly, the announcement only covers the 2023 season. It is likely Gasly will explore options to leave the Red Bull family for 2024 and beyond.
His own comments in AlphaTauri’s release do little to suggest otherwise, as he references “the next 18 months” in terms of developing the car with the team – so is not yet hinting at a future with AlphaTauri beyond that.
“I have been with this team for five years now and I am proud of the journey we’ve been through together and the progress we have made,” said Gasly.
“I’m happy to remain with my Scuderia AlphaTauri team next season.
“This year’s new regulations have created new challenges for us and being able to plan our development with the team for the next 18 months is a good working basis for the future.”
Of Gasly’s 95 grand prix appearances, 83 have been with AlphaTauri in either its current form or previous guise as Toro Rosso.
He became a grand prix winner in 2020 and has scored two further podiums with the team, establishing himself as one of the lead midfield drivers during his rehabilitation from being demoted by Red Bull in mid-2019.
However, his efforts have not been enough to convince Red Bull he is worthy of being paced alongside Max Verstappen, hence its decision to keep Perez – who joined the team in 2021 in place of Gasly’s immediate successor Alex Albon.
And with the popular Albon now starring at Williams, it’s possible that Gasly is not even top of the list of axed Red Bull drivers who could replace Perez in the future.
