DRIVER MARKET: Gasly to remain with AlphaTauri for the 2023 season

AlphaTauri have confirmed that Pierre Gasly will remain with the team for the 2023 season, ending speculation that the Frenchman might depart for new pastures at the end of this season.

Following confirmation that Sergio Perez would be staying on at Red Bull until 2024, and thus blocking Gasly’s route back to the team he drove 12 races for in 2019, Gasly was open about wanting to have conversations with Red Bull’s motorsports advisor Dr Helmut Marko regarding where his own future lay.

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But with team boss Franz Tost stating in Canada that it was “100% confirmed” that Gasly would stay with AlphaTauri for 2023, this has now been corroborated by the team on Friday morning, with Tost saying: “We are really pleased to confirm that Pierre stays with us in 2023. He is definitely in the group of the best and most competitive drivers in F1 and has proven his abilities during all the time he has spent with us.

“Undoubtedly, Pierre can play a major role in the team having a successful season next year and it will be down to us to provide him with a competitive car, so that he can continue to deliver excellent results.”

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Gasly made his F1 debut with the team, then known as Toro Rosso, at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix, and has subsequently taken three podiums with the squad, including his win at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.

Speaking of the new deal, Gasly said: “I have been with this team for five years now and I am proud of the journey we’ve been through together and the progress we have made. I’m happy to remain with my Scuderia AlphaTauri team.

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“This year’s new regulations have created new challenges for us and being able to plan our development with the team for the next 18 months is a good working basis for the future.”

It’s not been the easiest start to Gasly’s 2022 campaign, the Frenchman currently 11th in the standings on 16 points – while last year was Gasly’s first in F1 where he took over 100 points.