Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Pierre Gasly

  • Gasly signs new contract extension with Alpine

    Pierre Gasly has committed his long-term future to Alpine by signing a contract extension that will see him race for the French manufacturer until at least the end of the 2028 campaign.

    The 29 year old joined Alpine ahead of the 2023 season and has since scored two podiums while also playing a key role in helping the team secure sixth place in the Teams’ Championship last season.

    Gasly’s previous contract wasn’t due to expire until the end of next season but both sides were keen to extend that deal by a further two years and so put pen to paper before the Italian Grand Prix.

    Alpine are having a challenging season as they are last in the F1 Constructors’ Championship, but Gasly had largely been the lead driver above Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto, scoring the team’s only points in Bahrain, Spain, Great Britain and Belgium.

    Next year sees a new set of car regulations, and Alpine have decided to not use their own Renault engines, instead taking Mercedes’ power units.

    I’m thrilled to commit my long-term future to Alpine. As a Frenchman, especially, driving for a French car company, it makes me feel very proud. Since I joined in 2023, I have always felt that this team is the right place to be for the future. Flavio’s support and belief in me, Francois’ commitment to the Formula 1 project, as well as the people we have in Enstone made this a natural decision and I want to be here in years to come and deliver on our joint objective: to win races and World Championships. We’re all in this together and I look forward to continuing this special story.
    Gasly on the news.

    Since I returned to the team, I have always stated how important it is to build and grow the competitiveness of BWT Alpine Formula One Team. We’re well prepared for the new era of Formula 1, beginning in 2026, and now we have our lead driver confirmed to bring us well into the future. Pierre has been an immense asset for the team during this challenging period. I have been very impressed with his attitude, dedication and talent and we look forward to continuing this project together for a long time.
    Briatore on the news.

  • Gasly commits to Alpine

    Alpine has agreed a multi-year extension with Pierre Gasly that will see the Frenchman stay with the Enstone-based team for 2025 and beyond.

    Gasly joined the French team at the start of last season, scoring 67 points over that 18 months period including third in the 2023 Belgian GP Sprint and third in the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Alpine had been pushing to secure Gasly following their decision to part ways with his current teammate Esteban Ocon at the end of the season.

    Alpine are chasing Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz for his signature to become Gasly’s teammate but it is believed the Spaniard is still undecided on his future.

    But should Sainz choose to drive elsewhere the team do have other options.
    They are considering promoting reserve driver Jack Doohan, or fellow academy driver Victor Martins, or going for experience like a 10 time race winner, Valtteri Bottas…

    I feel very much at home at this great team. I enjoy being a real part of both the Formula 1 project and the wider Alpine Cars vision. I’ve been officially here for over 18 months and it has always been the plan to build a long-term project with the Team. While on-track it’s been a challenging season so far, I remain faithful to the project and I am not going anywhere. I am happy with the changes made, the hard work, and the direction the team is taking. There is a lot of potential in this team’s personnel and resources. I’m excited for what is to come in the future and right now I’m focusing on the everyday details that we are putting in to improve our performances.
    Gasly on the news.

    The extension of Pierre’s contract with the team is very pleasing. He is a driver with huge experience in Formula 1 and continues to show huge amounts of potential on-track. For Alpine as a brand, he is a great ambassador and we therefore look forward to continuing our collaboration. While this is important for our future, we do have to keep our eyes close to what is coming and that is focusing on improving our current package. We have high ambitions this current season and we will work tirelessly to achieve those things. We will take our time in deciding Pierre’s team-mate and we are excited with the options we have on the table.
    Team Principal, Bruno Famin.

  • Gasly to Alpine 2023

    Pierre Gasly is the final piece in the puzzle as he forms an all-French line-up with Esteban Ocon at Alpine from the 2023 season, after he signs a multi-year deal.

    The 26 year old, was contracted to Alpha Tauri for 2023 but Red Bull – who have supported him for the past nine years – agreed to release him early if they find a suitable replacement.

    Gasly has been keen to secure a drive after having rebuilt his reputation at AlphaTauri following his demotion from Red Bull in 2019.

    When Fernando Alonso announced he was leaving for Aston Martin and Alpine’s reserve Oscar Piastri chose McLaren, Alpine marked Gasly as their number one target.

    I am delighted to join the Alpine family and begin this new chapter in my Formula 1 career. Driving for a team that has French roots is something very special. I know the strengths of Alpine having raced against them over the past couple of years and, clearly, their progress and ambition is very impressive. I wish to thank Red Bull as this marks the end of our nine-year journey together. It is thanks to their trust and support that I became a Formula 1 driver, and what we’ve achieved with Scuderia AlphaTauri over the last years has been very special. Looking ahead, I want to give the maximum and utilise all my experience to fight for podiums and ultimately contribute to Alpine’s fight for championships in the future.

    Pierre Gasly on his move.

    I’m very happy that Pierre will be joining the team for 2023 and beyond. He is already a proven talent within Formula 1, and we are looking forward to harnessing that within the team. Our team has several objectives for the coming seasons and I firmly believe our driver line-up is a great reflection of the team’s high ambitions. I trust Pierre and Esteban can, together, motivate the team to continue its progress towards these goals. We would also like to thank Red Bull for agreeing the terms to allow Pierre to take this step.

    Alpine Team Principal, Otmar Szafnauer

    I would like to welcome Pierre to the Alpine family. He is a talented and motivated driver who will contribute positively to our objectives in Formula 1. Pierre is completely aligned with the ambition and progression that has, to date, been a hallmark of the Alpine project. As a young, but highly experienced and successful driver, his trajectory is on course with our own, and we look forward to growing together.

    Laurent Rossi, Alpine CEO.

  • Gasly to Alpine?

    Recently, Pierre Gasly has been rumoured he could be leaving Alpha Tauri and partnering up with Esteban Ocon at Alpine for the 2023 season.

    Originally, it was Alpine’s reserve driver Oscar Piastri whom the team intended to step up to a race seat, although he sensationally denied that wouldn’t be the case after Alpine announced his promotion in a press release.

    It’s now been confirmed that Piastri will be driving for McLaren for 2023, so essentially Alpine are 100% looking at other drivers now.

    It has led to various other drivers being linked with the seat. One of those is Gasly, who despite being under contract with Alpha Tauri until the end of 2023, has had the door closed in his face in terms of a future opportunity to return to Red Bull.

    If Gasly did go to Alpine next year, this means he would have to leave the Red Bull programme (a bit like Albon when he went to Williams). This would then leave Alpha Tauri the job of finding two drivers, as Yuki Tsunoda has not been re-signed yet.

    Red Bull have been looking into Colton Herta joining their sister team. Herta currently races in Indycar, but does not have enough points on his superlicence to compete in F1.

    The FIA is reportedly looking into Colton Herta’s credentials for a superlicence. He currently sits on 32 points, but drivers need 40 points to gain a superlicence.

  • Gasly to remain with Alpha Tauri

    AlphaTauri have confirmed that Pierre Gasly will be remaining with the team for the 2023 season, ending speculation that the Frenchman might depart for new pastures at the end of the season.

    Following confirmation that Sergio Perez is staying on at Red Bull until 2024, and thus blocking Gasly’s route to the team he drove 12 races for in 2019. Gasly has always been open about wanting to have conversations with Red Bull’s motorsports advisor, Dr Helmut Marko regarding where his future is.

    Gasly made his F1 debut with the team, then known as Toro Rosso, at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix, and has subsequently taken three podiums with the squad including his win at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.

    We are really pleased to confirm that Pierre stays with us in 2023. He 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. Undoubtedly, Pierre can play a major role in the team having a successful season next year and it will be down to us to provide him with a competitive car, so that he can continue to deliver excellent results.

    Franz Tost, Team Boss of AlphaTauri.

    “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.

    Pierre Gasly on signing another year.

    My Opinion-

    We all knew this was going to happen, especially because Pierre is still contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2023, and in all honesty they (Red Bull) wouldn’t let him go to another team until that time is up.

  • AT03

    AT03

    Alpha Tauri have kicked of a new week with revealing their 2022 car, the AT03. They are the fifth team to launch their programme.

    The Italian team scored their highest points tally to date last year, with Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda picking up a total of 142 points which led them to finish 6th overall in the constructors championship.

    The AT03 is decked out in a revised blue and white livery, which shows that the new rules have brought a variety of designs to the 2022 grid. Gasly and Tsunoda will get the chance to run the AT03 during three days of running in Barcelona.

    “I am excited to finally reveal what our 2022 Formula 1 car will look like,” said Team Principal Franz Tost. “It is a completely new era for F1 and we hope that this package will be very strong, following last year’s success. Once again, we have worked closely with AlphaTauri (Red Bull’s clothing brand) to launch our new car and I think we’ve managed to deliver something very special.”

    Gasly, who scored a podium in Baku last season and finished ninth in the drivers’ standings, added: “This year sees a huge change to the car as, due to the new regulations, the look and design is completely different, so the team has had to start from a clean sheet of paper. We won’t know the true performance of the AT03 until we get it out on track at pre-season testing in Barcelona but so far, I think it looks great and I am very excited to get this new season started.”

    Tsunoda, who has been retained for a second season, said: “It really does look great. Of course we’ve not seen the real car on track yet, but the new shape and design are really cool, and I think the livery suits it really well and I hope everyone enjoys the launch video.”

    My Opinion-

    So with Alpha Tauri I wasn’t expecting much, but this car is wow. I definitely think the new style of the car makes everyone’s look a lot cleaner, but I think AT have hit the nail on the head with this livery compared to last years.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ9KHPpquz5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

  • 14.02.22

    Alpha Tauri have announced the date for their car reveal and that will be on the 14th February.

    The AT03 is set to be piloted by Red Bull Juniors, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda. The sister team of Red Bull was the fifth team to confirm their date for the world to see.

    2022 will see Alpha Tauri use power units from Red Bull Powertrains for the very first time, after Honda departed from the sport at the end of last season.

    This season should be a pretty big year for Alpha Tauri, partly because of the new power units- but also because Pierre Gasly has just come off an impressive season, and his team-mate will be going into his second season in the sport and hopefully be wanting to be build on last year!

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/CZMUChslJKm/?utm_medium=copy_link

  • Should GAS go back?

    So one of the main thing I feel like gets talked about in F1 whether there are spare seats or not, is whether Pierre Gasly will ever return to Red Bull?…

    Since Daniel Ricciardo left RB back in the 2018 season, its been no lie that the other Red Bull seat has been hard to fill with them now being on their third driver in three years.

    It started off with Pierre, but unfortunatley he only lasted 12 races, and Alex Albon got brought in for the rest of 2019 season and the full 2020 season. Sergio Perez is now the third driver to be in that seat for this year and then his got a contract extension till then end of the ’22 season.

    It’s no lie that Pierre thinks he should be in that second seat, even more so now that his got a win with Alpha Tauri, and he is putting consistent results in almost every weekend and pulling everything out of the Alpha Tauri.

    Gasly admitted that he felt over looked for 2022 promotion speaking to Canal Plus, he recently said: “I felt based on this year I could have deserved a better chance, but that is the decision, it doesn’t stop my motivation.”

    My Opinion-

    I feel like this is a tough one, Pierre obviously thinks a lot of Red Bull still even after everything so of course he is going to stay loyal to them. But theres a time when you say enough is enough.

    Pierre is still contracted to RB till the end of 2023, so I don’t know whether he waits till then to leave RB all together or wait and see if he gets a drive for Red Bull for the 2023 season, but he wont be the only one hoping for a drive then, Alex Albon wants to be a contender for the RB seat in 2023, and if you look into the feeder series, you’ve got RB juniors in there such as, Juri Vips, Liam Lawson, Dennis Hauger, Jack Doohan and many others who will be looking to fill that seat or the Alpha Tauri seats…

    I personally don’t see him going back to Red Bull, which is a shame but I do think he will be in a top car in the next few years, which I can’t wait to see!

  • Gasly & Tsunoda retained by AlphaTauri

    Well it seems like a week of driver announcements this week! Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly have been retained by AlphaTauri for 2022.

    Pierre has been with AlphaTauri since being demoted by Red Bull back in 2019 and it saw him get his first win in F1 with AT. His constantly dragging everything out of the car to perform well and it seems to be paying off, and his hoping for some podium finishes this year! His currently sat in 8th in the drivers championship.

    Yuki is new to AlphaTauri, with it being his rookie season in F1, he hasn’t done too bad… He scored points in his first race, which put peoples expectations high but as he is only a rookie you can’t expect him to finish in the points consistently. You can expect mistakes in the first year as they are still learning the car and where the limits are. Yuki is currently sat in 13th in the drivers championship.

    I think for AlphaTauri next year, they will be looking to get more up the front, with both drivers being consistent in the points they would want to be battling for P3, P4 in the championship alongside McLaren and Ferrari

    Looking into the new aerodynamic era of Formula 1, Gasly assessed “there are great things to achieve”. “I’m very excited to see what we can accomplish in the new era of F1 and to keep working with the team as best as I can to bring us forward in the team standings. This year has been very successful so far and I really believe we can work well together to do even better in 2022.”

    “I’m really excited to be staying with Scuderia AlphaTauri for a second season,” said Tsunoda. “It’s an incredible opportunity and I’m so thankful to the team for letting me continue to grow my experience in Formula 1 with them.”

    My Opinion-

    I think this is a good move, both drivers get on well on and off the track. I didn’t see them changing it to be honest, this line-up provides stability into the new season and I think thats good especially with the changes coming in next season.

    I do think Pierre should be in a top car, he deserves to show what his capable off and I feel like his shown what he can do in an AlphaTauri, put him in an Ferrari and he will do brilliant things. However that won’t happen as he is still under contract with Red Bull as a junior driver until 2023, so if he wants to break out of it then the 2023 season is where it happens.

  • Perez retained for 2022

    The seats for 2022 are starting to fill up quick, as Red Bull announced on Thursday 26th that they will keep Sergio Perez for the 2022 season.

    Red Bull have been looking for a driver who will keep up with Max Verstappen and bring the fight to Lewis and Mercedes, they had been unsuccessful until this season…

    Perez has made a strong start for his first season with the team, he took four top five finishes in the first five races and then clenched his first win with the team in his sixth in Baku. Perez is currently sitting in 5th in the driver standings with 104 points, which is just four points away from Bottas.

    “Checo is a highly respected Team member and his experience and race-craft are invaluable as we fight for the Constructors’ Championship,” said Red Bull boss Christian Horner. “His integration into the wider Team has been seamless and we have been impressed by his performances during the first half of the season which demonstrate what he’s capable of in our car.”

    What does it mean for Gasly & Albon?

    It looks like Gasly will be leading Alpha Tauri forwards, his had a very good season so far having grabbed points in all but three races this year, the team intend to secure fifth place in the constructors. AlphaTauri are yet to confirm their driver plans for the 2022 season but they are very much likely to keep it the same as the 2021 season.

    Now onto Albon, after not getting his seat renewed this season he went into the reserve driver role and to drive in DTM. Red Bull are impressed with the job Alex has been doing as the reserve, with clocking up miles in the simulator which has made Red Bull stronger this year, it seems they would want to keep him on.

    However, they realise he wants to race and they have said they are supportive of a move to a different team if he can make one work. There are two opportunities either at Williams or Alfa Romeo, both outside the Red Bull family.

    My Opinion-

    I think its a good move that Perez is staying for another year he seems to have done a lot of work within the team to help the championship fight. What shocked me the most, was the fact they announced it quite early, I thought they would of waited till the end of the season.

    It’s obviously a shame for Gasly and Albon as everyone wants to be in the best car, fighting for wins and podiums. But if they keep working on what their doing and being consistent I can see them both being back in a top car in the future!