Alpine sign Gasly on multi-year F1 deal after Red Bull release

26-year-old Gasly replaces two-time world champion Alonso, who completed a bombshell switch to rivals Aston Martin in August after Sebastian Vettel revealed he will retire at the end of the current campaign. 

Gasly - Alpine’s number one target following the news of Alonso’s departure - has signed a multi-year deal to partner Esteban Ocon and form an all-French driver-line up at the Anglo-French team.

The move was enabled after Red Bull agreed terms to free Gasly from his contract early in order to join Alpine, with the energy drinks firm securing the services of Nyck de Vries to fill the vacated seat at AlphaTauri. 

 “I am delighted to join the Alpine family and begin this new chapter in my Formula 1 career," said Gasly. "Driving for a team that has French roots is something very special.

"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. I wish to thank Red Bull as this marks the end of our 9-year journey together.

"It is thanks to their trust and support that I became a Formula 1 driver, and what we’ve achieved with Scuderia AlphaTauri over the last years has been very special.

"Looking ahead, I want to give the maximum and utilise all my experience to fight for podiums and ultimately contribute to Alpine’s fight for championships in the future.”

The announcement brings to an end one of the longest-running and most dramatic sagas of the 2023 driver market, which saw Alpine initially confirm Oscar Piastri as Alonso’s replacement, only for the Australian to deny the claim and instead take Daniel Ricciardo’s seat at McLaren.

Gasly’s arrival at Enstone will see his long-term association with Red Bull come to a close having joined their junior programme in 2014. 

The Frenchman made his F1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2017 and was promoted to the Red Bull senior team for 2019, only to be demoted back to Toro Rosso after 12 races amid his struggled to match teammate Max Verstappen. 

Gasly has since rebuilt his reputation as one of the strongest drivers in F1’s midfield, claiming his first victory with the rebranded AlphaTauri scored at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. 

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer said: “I’m very happy that Pierre will be joining the team for 2023 and beyond. He is already a proven talent within Formula 1, and we are looking forward to harnessing that within the team.

"Our team has several objectives for the coming seasons and I firmly believe our driver line-up is a great reflection of the team’s high ambitions. I trust Pierre and Esteban can, together, motivate the team to continue its progress towards these goals. We would also like to thank Red Bull for agreeing the terms to allow Pierre to take this step.”