Pierre Gasly will join Alpine at the end of the 2022 season, two days after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as confirmed by Otmar Szafnauer. However, just a few days ago, he still had a contract with Red Bull for the following season, 2023.
Red Bull had indeed planned and informed Pierre Gasly that at the end of the following season, they would not be able to keep the French driver at AlphaTauri. Without a seat for 2024, Gasly had to find a solution, which conveniently presented itself as Alpine was urgently looking for a driver of Gasly’s caliber this season.
Red Bull has decided not to continue with Pierre after the 2023 season, explains Franz Tost, the boss of AlphaTauri. And of course, the situation was not easy for Pierre [Gasly] because he didn’t know if he would have a place in F1 in 2024. So we talked about it together and Red Bull decided to release him from his 2023 contract in order not to be an obstacle to his future and to support him.
Franz Tost confirms that it is deserved for Gasly to be able to leave sooner than expected in order to not hold him back.
Red Bull made a fair decision because he deserves it. He has done a lot for the team, he has carried us, made podiums in Sao Paulo and Baku, and of course, he has won with us. He also has good experience, he is fast, and he has a very good personality.
Red Bull and Helmut Marko, in particular, who manages the drivers of both teams in F1, did not want to release their number 1 driver at AlphaTauri without ensuring they had a contract with a driver as good as Gasly. So, they waited to sign Nyck de Vries before confirming the transfer to Alpine.
