Alpine, AlphaTauri Confirm Formula 1 Driver Changes for 2023

• Two more Formula 1 seats for 2023 were locked down on Friday, as Alpine sealed its deal for Pierre Gasly and Nyck de Vries was picked for Gasly's seat at AlphaTauri.

• The outcome flew in the face of belief earlier this summer that Oscar Piastri was on his way to Alpine, while AlphaTauri had Gasly contracted to a 2023 seat.

• De Vries' big break came in Italy, where he replaced an ill Alexander Albon and finished eighth for Williams.

Pierre Gasly will join Alpine’s Formula 1 team in 2023 with his place at AlphaTauri to be taken by Nyck de Vries.

Gasly will move away from Red Bull’s stable after a near-decade tenure that has had swathes of success and moments of failure.

De Vries, who has won titles in Formula 2 and Formula E, has been on the market for several years but has been picked up by AlphaTauri following his strong unexpected debut with Williams in Italy.

Once Thought Unlikely Outcome

De Vries at Red Bull’s junior team and Gasly at Alpine would have been a preposterous thought as little as three months ago.

Alpine was striving to hand Fernando Alonso a one-year extension, had Oscar Piastri waiting in the wings, while AlphaTauri had Gasly contracted to a 2023 seat. But Alonso opted to sign a multi-year Aston Martin deal, while Alpine junior Piastri penned a two-year McLaren contract that shocked Alpine and prompted a court case that was settled in McLaren’s favor.

Alpine zeroed in on Gasly but needed Red Bull to find a suitable replacement for the AlphaTauri camp in order for the Frenchman to be released.

Red Bull has traditionally filtered its young drivers through to AlphaTauri but faced a paucity of options, with its drivers in Formula 2 either underperforming or not yet ready.

An attempt was made to secure IndyCar star Colton Herta a Super License but this was rebuked, and instead Red Bull’s focus turned to de Vries.

The Dutchman will consequently join Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri for his first full season while Gasly will partner compatriot Esteban Ocon at Alpine.

Gasly Gets His Chance

Gasly was signed to Red Bull’s young driver program at the end of 2013, following a title in Formula Renault Eurocup, without which he would have lacked the finances to continue competing.

Gasly first linked up with AlphaTauri, under its Toro Rosso guise, in late 2017 and was afforded a chance at Red Bull Racing for 2019, following Daniel Ricciardo’s exit. But a series of poor results and incidents prompted Red Bull to swing the axe mid-season and demote Gasly to Toro Rosso.

However, Gasly remained resolute and impressed with his response, memorably claiming a podium in Brazil, before executing a shock victory with AlphaTauri in Italy a year later.

He has regularly spearheaded AlphaTauri’s charge but the squad has stagnated through 2022 and is only ninth in the championship. Gasly has scored just 23 points, compared to 110 in 2021, leaving him effectively treading water, a trait that risked continuing into 2023.

Red Bull made it clear that while Gasly was regarded as an ideal figurehead for AlphaTauri it saw no route back for him to the senior team, initially through its persistence with Alexander Albon, and subsequently via its recruitment of Sergio Perez. Perez, an ideal partner for Max Verstappen, now has a deal through 2024. No other team displayed legitimate interest in Gasly, leaving him cuffed to AlphaTauri, until the unexpected Alpine interjection.

“Driving for a team that has French roots is something very special,” said Gasly. “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.”

Gasly now gets a much-needed opportunity to show his worth outside of the Red Bull environment, in a team currently fifth in the championship, and which has long-term title ambitions. There will be some hurdles; Gasly was not first or second choice for the seat, while he has to form a working relationship with Esteban Ocon, his former childhood friend with whom relations soured, though are understood to now be cordial. After the announcement Ocon posted a picture of the pair as children, and then as impending team-mates.

In many ways Gasly’s trajectory mirrors that of Carlos Sainz, who pushed through a move outside of Toro Rosso before finding a home at Ferrari, via stints at Renault and McLaren, when he realized the door to Red Bull was closed. In the announcement it was confirmed that Gasly’s nine-year association with Red Bull will end.

De Vries’ Long and Winding Road to F1

De Vries’ name has been around the scene for over a decade following a prolific karting record that brought him to the attention of McLaren, who recruited him as a young driver. But a curiously inconsistent junior career meant he was usurped by his contemporaries. He trailed the likes of Charles Leclerc and Alexander Albon in GP3 as teammates, while was a step adrift of Albon, Lando Norris and George Russell in a talent-packed 2018 Formula 2 lineup.

De Vries eventually won the Formula 2 title, in 2019, by which time he had jumped ship from McLaren to Mercedes, and placed his focus on exploits in Formula E and the World Endurance Championship.

De Vries won the 2020-21 Formula E title while the Mercedes affiliation led to Formula 1 tests, and FP1 runs for Mercedes, Aston Martin and Williams this year to fulfill their young driver quota.

His potentially career-changing moment came in Italy courtesy of Alexander Albon’s bout of appendicitis. Williams turned to De Vries and he impressed, making Q2, before being promoted to eighth on the grid due to penalties. A mature drive to ninth in the race netted debut points and earned plaudits from the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

At 27, 28, by the time 2023 rolls around, de Vries is on the elder side for a contemporary rookie but can draw on a wealth of experience from various categories.

“After Formula 2, I took a slightly different path with motorsport, but F1 has always been my dream and I’m grateful to be able to fulfill it,” said de Vries. “I’ve had a lot of chances to experience the 2022 car this year and I think that has put me in a great position for the upcoming season.”

Just Two Seats Left

Confirmation of Gasly at Alpine and de Vries at AlphaTauri means only two seats remain on the 2023 grid—the second seats at Haas and Williams respectively.

Mick Schumacher’s position remains rocky and his prospects were not helped by an in-lap crash in wet conditions at Suzuka on Friday.

The crash resulted in a change of chassis, meaning more costs were incurred for Haas, and acted as another black mark against his name. It is understood that Nico Hulkenberg is the main contender to take Schumacher’s seat if Haas opts for a change.

At Williams the removal of de Vries from the list of candidates is ostensibly good news for American Logan Sargeant.

Sargeant still requires a top five finish in Formula 2, which concludes in Abu Dhabi next month, in order to receive a Formula 1 license.

Williams has already confirmed the exit of Nicholas Latifi at the end of 2022.