Pierre Gasly will stay at Alpine after signing a new contract. Gasly’s current deal had been due to expire at the end of the season, but the team announced ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix that he’d penned an extension.
Alpine wanted to tie the Frenchman down to a long-term deal to ensure a degree of continuity. They will have to bring in a new driver alongside him, though, after agreeing to part ways with Esteban Ocon.
Gasly and Ocon were close when they were young but their relationship hasn’t recovered from a childhood fallout. They have collided twice since the former’s arrival at the start of 2023, most recently at the Monaco Grand Prix.
For team principal Bruno Famin, harmony within the team is likely to be important. There was previously tension between Ocon and Fernando Alonso before the Spaniard’s departure for Aston Martin.
One of the leading contenders to partner Gasly is Carlos Sainz. F1TV journalist Lawrence Barretto reports that the team have recently made an improved offer to the departing Ferrari driver.
Sainz is also attracting interest from Williams and Audi. As a three-time race-winner with 22 podiums, he boasts an outstanding CV.
These F1 fans want to see Jack Doohan alongside Carlos Sainz at Alpine
Writing on social media, though, a number of fans called for the team to hire Jack Doohan instead. Doohan, a five-time winner in Formula 2, has been carrying out a reserve role for the team this year.
Reports earlier this month suggested that he was the favourite to replace Ocon. But the growing interest in Sainz may have hurt his chances.
Doohan has impressed the team with his commitment to the third driver position. He was due to take part in FP1 at the Canadian Grand Prix but was denied the chance to set a lap time in mixed conditions.
Responding to Alpine’s Gasly announcement on X, @tracksiderubes wrote ‘cool, now give us the Jack Doohan announcement’. Meanwhile, @Uelsket1 vowed to buy full team merchandise if they ‘announce Doohan’.
@WINEANDGOLD declared that the Australian is ‘next’ and @joshwrigley13 told the team to hire him. Over on Instagram, @F1_ben asked the Enstone outfit to ‘please’ place their faith in the 21-year-old.
@Danielescobardiaz wants to see Doohan ‘now’, but much may depend on how he performs in an upcoming test. He’s due to go up against Mick Schumacher, a WEC driver for Alpine, at the Paul Ricard circuit in France in a potential shoot-out for the spot alongside Gasly.
When Doohan messaged Alpine CEO about F1 seat
Doohan, dubbed a ‘complete’ driver by his former F2 boss (via Formula Scout), placed his faith in Alpine when he left the Red Bull driver academy to join them ahead of the 2022 season. Signing him would show other youngsters that the French brand can offer a path to Formula 1.
Gasly’s extension arguably makes him more appealing. Famin and co. know they have a race-winning driver in one of their seats who can not only mentor the rookie but also pick up points while he adapts at the start of the season.
Doohan incidentally put himself forward for the seat that eventually went to the ex-Red Bull driver. He messaged the team’s then-CEO Laurent Rossi to advertise his credentials back in 2022.
They had confirmed that Alonso was leaving, and very publicly missed out on Oscar Piastri. While Rossi overlooked him a couple of years ago, this looks like his best opportunity yet.
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