Pierre Gasly to join Alpine for 2023

Pierre Gasly’s expected move to Alpine for 2023 has been confirmed ahead of Japanese Grand Prix qualifying this morning, with him leaving AlphaTauri.

The Formula 1 driver market this year has really captured the imagination, and we’re now one step closer to knowing the full line-up on the grid for 2023.

Indeed, Gasly had signed a contract earlier this year to stay with AlphaTauri for at least one more season but after it was revealed Fernando Alonso would be leaving Alpine for Aston Martin, speculation quickly grew that Gasly was the team’s first pick for Esteban Ocon’s new partner.

Ocon and Gasly know each other well having raced against one another in junior ranks and, of course, are both French driving for a team with a huge French influence, so it’s going to be interesting seeing how that dynamic works and how they can spur the team on.

For Gasly it’s also potentially a chance to move up the grid and challenge higher up the field.

Though Alpine are not expected to be race winners as early as 2023, they seem as though they are heading in a good direction and, in fairness, they are certainly nearer the front than AlphaTauri who have had a tougher season this year.

Gasly has said that he wants to be fighting up at the front and certainly deserves the chance to be doing so after really rebuilding his career in recent years following a rocky patch at Red Bull, and he’ll hope this is the right step forwards for him in his quest to add to that one race win he has, which came at the Italian Grand Prix in 2020.

As for AlphaTauri, Nyck de Vries will come in to replace Gasly and will drive alongside Yuki Tsunoda next year.

De Vries did a great job for Williams on a surprise debut weekend at Monza last month, with him standing