AlphaTauri has ended any lingering doubts about Pierre Gasly’s future by confirming on Friday the French driver will stay with the team for 2023.
The news means Gasly remains contracted to the Red Bull programme but driving for its junior team, where he memorably won the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.
AlphaTauri has helped Gasly revive his career after a short-lived stint at Red Bull in 2018.
Sergio Perez’s newly-signed Red Bull extension has blocked off Gasly’s path back to the top team until at least 2025, but the French driver was seen as being a major part of the driver market if he could get himself free of his current ties.
Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, team boss Franz Tost said it was “100%” certain Gasly would remain with the team next year, although there was no official communication from the team saying so and the Frenchman had never explicitly said he was staying.
That confirmation came Friday, with Gasly saying: “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. I’m happy to remain with my Scuderia AlphaTauri team. 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.”
Tost added that the Gasly “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.”
The 2023 driver market could be one of the quietest in years.
Reigning F2 champion Oscar Piastri has been tipped to replace Nicholas Latifi at Williams next year. Sebastian Vettel could create a major opening if he decided to retire, but the Aston Martin driver has given no indication that he is seriously thinking about walking away.
Alpine’s Fernando Alonso is also yet to sign a new deal for 2023. Were he to leave, Alpine junior Piastri would likely take his seat instead.
Source: www.espn.com