Marko closes the door on Gasly’s departure to Alpine
Leaving vacant by Alonso and then rejected by Piastri, the open seat at Alpine alongside Esteban Ocon for the 2023 season could have interested Pierre Gasly. A possibility now ruled out by Helmut Marko.
The beginning of August was particularly eventful in Formula 1. Although the race cars are currently waiting in the factories of the various teams before returning to the track after the break in Belgium, the transfer market is in full swing. The announcement of Sebastian Vettel’s retirement at the end of the season triggered a series of completely improbable events.
First, the day after the Hungarian Grand Prix, Aston Martin surprised the world of F1, and Alpine in particular, by announcing the arrival of Fernando Alonso from 2023. The Spanish driver is no stranger to this kind of coup, as you can see from his career. Then, it was Alpine’s turn to react quickly and avoid getting into a dead end by announcing the promotion of their third driver, Oscar Piastri. Finally, the last episode of this incredible series was written by Piastri himself, who simply refused the seat offered by the French team in a now famous tweet. As a result, the team that currently occupies fourth place in the constructor’s championship is left with a vacant spot in their 2023 lineup.
The box of rumors and speculations is now wide open to find out who will be alongside Esteban Ocon next season. All eyes seem to be turning towards Daniel Ricciardo in what would be a sort of exchange between Alpine and McLaren, as Piastri is set to drive for Zak Brown’s team in 2023. This possibility is conditioned by Ricciardo’s acceptance of not honoring his last year of contract with the British team and his desire to return to racing for the Alpine/Renault structure.
Other rumors suggested a possible all-French duo in the French national team, with Pierre Gasly accompanying Ocon. However, this dream for many French fans has just been quashed by Red Bull’s sports director, Helmut Marko.
“There is no exit clause for Gasly,” said the Austrian manager to the German press. “There wasn’t one before the summer break, and there won’t be one after the summer break.” Therefore, the Norman driver will be renewing his contract for a fourth consecutive season with AlphaTauri.
