Pierre Gasly signed a multi-year contract with Alpine, even though he had a deal with his current team, AlphaTauri. Alpine, who were snubbed by Piastri and Alonso, bought out Gasly’s contract with Red Bull. Gasly was released after a nine years with the Milton Keynes-based outfit. Gasly’s ex team boss reveals why the shift to Alpine saved the Frenchman’s career.

Pierre Gasly’s Red Bull dream never actually got realized. They harshly dumped him mid season in favor of Alex Albon in 2019. After the unceremonial treatment, he wanted to prove his mettle to get back to the team. But that did not happen even when the Frenchman scored a win at 2020 Italian Grand Prix for AlphaTauri. Gasly continued to push himself to gain an offer to drive alongside Max Verstappen again, but they shut the doors when Sergio Perez was recruited by the team.

In light of all this, AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost believes that the Alpine move is beneficial for Gasly. He feels that had Red Bull not let him go, he would have faced long-term repercussions in his career. Tost told The Race, “This was the reason why Red Bull decided to release him from the contract. Red Bull did something very fair to let him go to Alpine. This was clear for me, because otherwise the risk would have been far too great that he doesn’t have a seat for 2024. Then all the cockpits are full.”

He further added, “It’s not an easy one [to accept Gasly’s exit]. But in the end I think it’s a fair decision.”

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With Pierre Gasly lining up next to his former friend in Alpine for 2023, the sparks are expected to fly.

Pierre Gasly refutes rivalry with his new Alpine teammate

The media hype around the two Frenchmen, Gasly and Esteban Ocon, is that the drivers who used to be friends back in the day cannot stand each other anymore. But as fate held, the two who hail from Normandy starting their careers together will be racing for the French team from 2023.

However, Gasly has refuted the enmity claims against him and his teammate. In an interview with Motorsport, he said, “We are not best friends, but we get on,”

“We did some events, we speak to each other, and when I look down the paddock, the relationship between other team-mates, I think there are definitely [some] worse than us.”

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The 2023 season will be underway in over a month’s time. Do you think the two Frenchmen can get along?