Pierre Gasly says that Alpine has “three good options” to sign as his Formula 1 team-mate for 2025, as the team looks for a replacement for the outgoing Esteban Ocon.
It is understood that Alpine is one of many teams to make an offer to Carlos Sainz, who remains a free agent for next year as his Ferrari deal ends, but Sainz is believed to have come back in the frame at Red Bull and Mercedes as they consider their options for next year.
Ex-Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas also has race-winning pedigree as he considers his options away from Sauber, while the team has reserve driver Jack Doohan testing older machinery to imbue the Australian with F1 experience.
There could be other market fluctuations as well, as it is unknown whether Red Bull will honour Sergio Perez’s recently signed contract into 2025 as the Mexican has continued to struggle after wrapping up his future.
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Gasly did not expect his opinion on prospective team-mates would carry much weight, stating that he was open to all of them.
“I’ve said already that I think Alpine, the team has good options on the table,” Gasly said.
“At the end of the day, it’s not up to me. I welcome the fastest guy out there. We all know who it is.
“But then, at the moment, we’ve got to wait. But the team has three good options.”
Asked if he had spoken to Sainz about Alpine, as the Spaniard is expected to be the front-runner on the team’s shortlist, Gasly responded in the affirmative.
He said that he had done his part in trying to sell the project to Sainz, but that the decision was the three-time grand prix winner’s to make alone.
“I did my fair share of the job, and ultimately I believe in the project we’re building with Alpine,” he added.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine F1 Team
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“You know, I always back the team up, but now it’s up to him to make his own decision.”
Speaking about Alpine’s current form, Gasly stated that the team had not developed its A524 much after the initial swathe of upgrades aimed at addressing its weight.
Executive technical director David Sanchez stated during the Silverstone weekend that the team was preparing a series of upgrades for after the summer break, and Gasly hoped that these would offer a more consistent path into the points
“I think the car itself, we know where we are. We haven’t really developed over the last few races. So we know how to maximise it. Obviously others, you know, like Haas, for example, making quite big steps forward.
“It’s so tight in that midfield that it kind of reshuffles the order every time a team brings a new part. So I think we’ve got to try, but it’s not easy to score points until we get new upgrades on the car, which hopefully will put us a bit more in the fight.”
