Fernando Alonso may have committed this future to Aston Martin beyond 2024, but the Formula 1 driver’s market is only just getting started.
Carlos Sainz is now the most likely candidate to set off a chain reaction of movements after losing his seat at Ferrari.
He’s patiently waiting to see what Red Bull do with Mercedes still hoping to sign Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez out of contract at the end of the year.
The imminent arrival of Audi is also creating some speculation among the bottom half of the grid with plenty of drivers wondering if the German manufacturer are going to be Formula 1’s next superteam.
However, speaking to Formula 1’s official website, Alpine team principal Bruno Famin has been talking about the fate of his two drivers.
Both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are out of contract in the winter.
Given the French team are sitting bottom of the Constructors’ Championship without a point right now, they may both be about to find out if there’s any space for them elsewhere in the paddock.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Alpine team principal Bruno Famin talks about the fate of his drivers
It’s not been an easy or productive start to the year for Alpine.
They made fundamental changes to their car over the winter in an effort to take a step forward in the long run.
Unfortunately, that’s involved plenty of initial steps backwards and the upgrades they brought to Suzuka didn’t seem to help.
That’s left Alpine in a precarious position with both of their drivers approaching the ends of their contracts, but Famin isn’t worried.
While Audi have reportedly entered talks with Gasly and Ocon, the likelihood is only one of the pair will be considered for a seat.
The second Mercedes seat will also be on their radar, especially as Ocon is still managed by Toto Wolff, but once again, their names are likely to be quite far down his shortlist.
Famin admits he needs to be flexible when it comes to Alpine’s 2025 line-up with the majority of the grid likely to confirm their drivers before the French team.
That’s before you consider the fact that the 62-year-old’s position might also be under pressure given how this season has started…
Bruno Famin discusses 2025 Alpine plans
“We are happy with our drivers, and our drivers are happy with us.
“We are talking to them regularly. Let’s see what we can do in the future.
“There are ups and downs, we are in a down but we have a strong project with a long-term vision.
“We have a project which doesn’t need to convince them [to stay].
“I would like to use this opportunity to thank them. We are in a difficult position.
“It is not the start of the season we wanted and I appreciate how constructive they are with the team, not only in communications with journalists but also internally.
“When trying to find solutions with the car, both of them are very helpful.
“We are also looking at the market and we also have our academy where we are developing talents for tomorrow or the future. We have Jack Doohan who is our reserve, Victor Martins in F2.
“We have a wide scope of possibility. We are happy with Esteban, happy with Pierre – but we are ready to react in case something happens. That’s it.”
Alpine might be in the perfect position to promote a rookie driver – opinion
There is a scenario where Famin has to replace both of his Alpine drivers in the winter if they find seats elsewhere or don’t consider another contract with the team to be the right decision.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Ocon brought in by Mercedes as a stop-gap if they’re not confident that Kimi Antonelli is ready and Gasly would be a strong option for Audi or someone like Haas if they decide to make a change.
Alpine have one of the strongest driver academies in F1 and will still be rueing losing Oscar Piastri to McLaren.
Victor Martins has been very unlucky in F2 this year but is one of the strongest drivers at that level.
Reserve driver Jack Doohan is also very quick and that pair will hope they may be able to capitalise on the struggles the team are going through at the moment.
The post ‘Let’s see’: 62-year-old team boss fires ‘ready to react’ warning after both drivers linked with 2025 moves appeared first on F1 Oversteer.