Pierre Gasly emerges as key name in F1’s 2023 driver moves

ZANDVOORT, Netherlands — Media day for the Dutch Grand Prix on Thursday was dominated by talk around the remaining seats on the 2023 grid, with Pierre Gasly increasingly looking like a major player in the driver market.

F1 is waiting for clarification from the contract recognition board on whether Alpine or McLaren has a valid contract for Oscar Piastri’s services in 2023 but it is clear Gasly and Daniel Ricciardo, who will leave McLaren at the end of the year, are in the mix for that seat regardless of the outcome.

Alpine, McLaren, Haas and Williams all have one seat to fill for next year.

Alpine’s negotiations with other drivers have been delayed by the wait for clarification and that in turn is delaying decisions for the other teams. Even if the CRB rules in Alpine’s favour, there is a growing feeling that Piastri will not race for the team given how badly that relationship has been broken by the events of the past few months. During the Belgian Grand Prix, Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer took aim at Piastri, saying he wished the Formula 2 champion had more integrity.

If Alpine’s contract is upheld the team would likely name its price for McLaren to buy Piastri out of his contract, although a trade with AlphaTauri for Gasly has also been suggested as an option.

Gasly has become a fascinating part of this whole equation. Although he has a central Red Bull contract for 2023, which would keep him at AlphaTauri for another season, his place at the team is not ironclad. Christian Horner and Red Bull management do not see Gasly ever returning to the senior team and it is understood he will be allowed to leave if a team matches their asking price to buy him out of the contract.

Gasly leaving would suit all parties, with American IndyCar driver Colton Herta being linked with a move to AlphaTauri should a seat become available. There are obvious benefits to a team that brings an American into the sport right now given its booming popularity stateside, although Herta does not currently have the 40 FIA super-licence points required to race in F1 and cannot accumulate enough by the end of the season. According to Motorsport.com, the FIA is reviewing Herta’s super-licence credentials, with rules and exceptions around COVID-disrupted seasons potentially giving him a way in.

For Gasly, going elsewhere feels like his best option. Carlos Sainz’s career has thrived since he broke free of the Red Bull driver programme and Alex Albon is delivering stellar performances since…