AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly was recently have been told by the Red Bull management that he will never race for them and this may have pushed the Frenchman to negotiate deals with other teams.
With plenty of speculation surrounding the Alpine seat for the 2023 season, it is natural for drivers to also express an interest in the move.
While all of this usually takes place behind the camera, Gasly may have got caught in the act when he was overheard saying, “I’m still working on the final details of the contract” in a Ferrari F1 video shot during the Belgian Grand Prix.
Following Fernando Alonso’s decision to quit Alpine and join Aston Martin in 2023, Gasly may believe that the Alpine seat is the best one available on the grid.
Pierre Gasly caught saying “I’m still working in the final details for the contract”. Now, is he playing too much @F1Manager or are we about to see the GasMan at a new team? #F1 #Gasly pic.twitter.com/ONN99u4uk8
— Crash F1 (@CRASH_NET_F1) September 1, 2022
Daniel Ricciardo, who has been axed by McLaren a year before his contract with the team ran out, is believed to be the other frontrunner for the vacant Alpine seat.
However, while his history of leaving Renault and joining McLaren would certainly not have sat well with the management, there is now new staff and the Australian is also being considered.
Does AlphaTauri want to keep Gasly?
It is still believed that Gasly is seen by the team as their first option even though he does not share the best relationship with Esteban Ocon.
Gasly has a deal at AlphaTauri for the 2023 season as well, so Alpine may need to spend a fair bit in paying that off.
It may still be a good deal for them though, considering Ricciardo is the fifth-highest earner on the grid currently and his salary demands are likely to be far higher than Gasly.
Regarding a potential exit for Gasly, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner recently spoke with Sky Sports.
“Pierre is still a Red Bull Racing contracted driver until the end of next season,” he said.
“But, of course, we’ve got a contract with Checo Perez for the next couple of years. Max Verstappen is on a long term contract.
“We have to consider all possibilities. Of course until they fix what is going on with the contract recognition side, everything else is just purely speculative.”