Why Gasly topples Alonso in Alpine top trumps
Why Gasly topples Alonso in Alpine top trumps
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has explained why Pierre Gasly has ticked the boxes that neither Fernando Alonso nor Oscar Piastri could manage.
Gasly was recently confirmed as an Alpine driver on a multi-year contract, bringing an end to a nine-year relationship with Red Bull.
The manufacturer endured a complicated search for a 2023 driver after Alonso's out-of-the-blue announcement he would be joining Aston Martin and Piastri's rejection of a deal.
"As everyone knows, we had a seat available around the summer break and then we started looking around as to who would be the best fit and we had some criteria to work to," said Szafnauer.
"The three things that we wanted were, naturally, speed - a fast driver - and one with youth and experience at the same time.
"Adding those three things up, there aren't many people that have all that and Pierre definitely does and we thought he was a great fit for us, so we put him on our shortlist and went about getting it done."
Gasly third choice, but the best choice
Given that Alpine had attempted to sign both Alonso and Piastri before turning to Gasly, the Frenchman could be viewed as the team's third choice to drive alongside Esteban Ocon.
But given the criteria listed, Szafnauer reflected that his new signing is the right fit compared to Alonso and Piastri.
"Pierre, as I said, we put him on the shortlist and one of the reasons was that he was going to become available in '24, not for '23," added Szafnauer.
"And then it became quite evident to us - as I said before, he's got youth, experience and speed and that's difficult to say for a lot of drivers that are still within Formula 1.
'Even the other two that were mentioned didn't have [all of] those things.
"So, we're fortunate to secure Pierre and we look forward to working with him."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Vettel announces F1 return as FIA single Mercedes out for Miami checks - GPFans F1 Recap
- 3 hours ago
F1 team announce SHOCK signing weeks after rival departure
- Yesterday 22:57
Former team boss quizzed on role in Newey's Red Bull exit
- Yesterday 21:57
RB reveal STRIKING new livery ahead of Miami GP
- Yesterday 20:57
EXCLUSIVE: Insider claims F1 Academy and W Series couldn't co-exist
- Yesterday 19:57
Wolff delivers big verdict on Hamilton behaviour
- Yesterday 18:57
Related news
F1 team announce SHOCK signing weeks after rival departure
F1 boss delivers team SALE verdict with new targets set
F1 pundit slams 'EMBARRASSING' team and predicts driver exodus
F1 team announce shock RESIGNATION of two key figures
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860