Why Pierre Gasly Is Staying at AlphaTauri F1 Team in 2023

Pierre Gasly will remain with AlphaTauri for the 2023 Formula 1 season, formally slotting another piece into the driver market.

Gasly has been supported by Red Bull for the past decade and stepped up to Formula 1 with AlphaTauri, under its Toro Rosso guise, in late 2017. He was drafted into Red Bull for 2019, but a series of mediocre results alongside Max Verstappen led Red Bull bosses to return him to Toro Rosso.

Gasly, 26, has since firmly rebuilt his reputation, taking three podium finishes, including a shock victory at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. He has regularly outlined his ambition of returning to Red Bull, but that route was effectively shut recently when Sergio Perez signed a two-year extension through 2024.

The high point of Pierre Gasly’s career was a win at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.

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Gasly indicated in the aftermath that he would hold talks with Red Bull over his future while AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost insisted at the Canadian Grand Prix that Gasly held a 2023 contract and would be staying with the team.

On Friday, AlphaTauri formally confirmed the contract extension.

“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,” said Gasly. “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.”

In reality, Gasly was unlikely to grab a seat at a loftier team owing to the relative driver stability, while AlphaTauri has enjoyed its strongest form with Gasly. The two parties have been a solid fit across the past three years.

“We are really pleased to confirm that Pierre stays with us in 2023,” said Tost. “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.”

AlphaTauri has yet to confirm Gasly’s 2023 teammate. The seat has been occupied by Yuki Tsunoda since 2021. Tsunoda finished 14th in the F1 Drivers’ Championship in 2021. He’s 15th in the 2022 standings through nine races.

Tsunoda’s prospects of staying on are aided by the lack of standout options for Red Bull in its junior roster.

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