Why Red Bull freedom and an Alpine switch can define Gasly's F1 career

By:

Matt Kew

Oct 8, 2022, 4:57 AM

After seemingly being stuck in limbo at AlphaTauri - too good to let go, but not a realistic prospect for a Red Bull return - Pierre Gasly has finally shaken off the shackles to join Alpine. A fresh start at the French team should do Gasly the world of good, but he must adapt quickly. Oh, and work with a team-mate with whom he's had a fractious relationship...

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Pierre Gasly will forever be known as the winner of the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. It was that against-the-odds victory which made him the front-cover star of his home nation’s revered L’Equipe magazine. It’s the epithet used every time he is welcomed on stage or introduced in writing. Ultimately, it’s how he will be remembered. But not necessarily how his Formula 1 career shall be judged. That, instead, will more likely be derived from his tenure at Alpine.

A switch comes despite Gasly being signed to AlphaTauri for 2023. However, then the most hectic driver market silly season of recent times whirred into life. Sebastian Vettel dropped his retirement bombshell that took Fernando Alonso to Aston Martin and meant Daniel Ricciardo was paid off so McLaren could lock in Oscar Piastri - once the Contract Recognition Board determined Alpine’s paperwork insufficient. And with its protégé gone, Alpine had a vacancy alongside Esteban Ocon.

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Matt Kew

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Matt Kew is Autosport’s F1 Editor, a role he has held since March 2022 following stints covering Formula E, Extreme E and the British Touring Car Championship.

Matt joined Autosport in 2018 to work predominantly on the magazine, but his relentless quoting of Alan Partridge meant office colleagues soon thought he would be better-suited to increased field work.

Needless to say, Matt had the last laugh when he won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2019.

His interest in motorsport was sparked by regular trips to watch ASCAR crash around Rockingham’s banked oval.

Matt read politics and philosophy at the University of Sheffield - receiving first-class honours for his dissertation assessing the lack of female participation in top-tier motor racing.

He covered a wide variety of national race and rally meetings for Autosport as a freelancer before joining full-time. His best efforts to argue the merits of historic racing are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.

Why Red Bull freedom and an Alpine switch can define Gasly's F1 career

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