mobile app bar

Alpine paid $10 million to buy Pierre Gasly out of his Red Bull contract

Somin Bhattacharjee
Published

Alpine paid $10 million to buy Pierre Gasly out of his Red Bull contract

Alpine have reportedly paid a sum of $10 million to Red Bull to buy Pierre Gasly out of his existing contract. 

Earlier this year, Alpine lost out on Fernando Alonso who revealed he would be joining Aston Martin at the end of the season. To add salt to the wound, their junior driver Oscar Piastri too snubbed Alpine in favor of a McLaren seat for 2023.

The French outfit took time, assessed their options, and decided that signing Gasly would be best for them. His move to Enstone was made official earlier this week, and he will team up alongside compatriot Esteban Ocon from next year onwards.

Gasly has been involved in the Red Bull ranks throughout his career, and a contract with their sister team AlphaTauri that ran until the end of the 2023 season. Alpine signing him in the middle of his contract meant that they had to pay Red Bull a certain amount of money.

According to Sky Sports, Alpine paid the Milton-Keynes-based outfit a sum of $10 million to secure the services of their academy talent.

Also read: “Would love to see Daniel Ricciardo come in IndyCar”: Romain Grosjean feels Aussie driver should start his hustle in America

Will Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon get along at Alpine?

Gasly and Ocon were great friends when they were kids and even their families were very close. However, as they grew up and slowly ventured into the world of F1, the relationship between them soured. They have repeatedly insisted that they aren’t friends anymore, and some feel that this may spoil the environment at Alpine.

Team principal Otmar Szafnauer, however, isn’t concerned about it. The 58-year-old revealed that he talked with both drivers before the move was made official and that they’re both okay with it. On top of that, the fact that they know each other for such a long time is something that he wants to take into account.

“They’re professionals,” said Szafnauer. “And they have no issue working together. And hopefully, the friendship will rekindle. They were friends at one point. But from a professional perspective, they’re both very happy to work with each other.”

Also read: “Just give Helmut Marko a call”: Max Verstappen became cupid in Nyck de Vries and AlphaTauri coming together

Mercedes reserve joins Red Bull academy to replace Gasly

Nyck de Vries has been a reserve driver for Mercedes for the past two seasons. The 2019 F2 Champion was always a very talented prospect, but never got his lucky break in F1. This September, however, he finally showed how good he can be when he stood in for Alex Albon at the Italian GP.

In just his first F1 race with Williams, he managed a P9 finish. This was very impressive, especially because he didn’t get a lot of time to prepare for the weekend. His performances also caught the eye of several teams on the grid, and one of them was Mercedes’ arch rivals, Red Bull.

Red Bull themselves didn’t have a spot available. However, with Pierre Gasly leaving for Alpine, they thought it would be perfect for De Vries to join AlphaTauri as his replacement.

Now that De Vries’ move is confirmed, only Haas and Williams are yet to announce their driver lineups for the 2023 campaign.

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

x-iconinstagram-iconlinkedin-icon

Basketball Editor Somin Bhattacharjee first discovered the game during the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Not long after, he turned to the NBA and found himself drawn to the Golden State Warriors — right at the start of Stephen Curry’s rise. Over time, the admiration turned into full-blown support for the team, one that continues even as the Curry era approaches its twilight. A true hoophead, Somin also follows EuroLeague basketball closely and enjoys exploring the game beyond the NBA. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. Since 2021, he has penned over 3,000 articles for TheSportsRush, covering everything from breaking news to sharp opinion pieces and detailed exclusives. He thrives on writing about in-game moments and the reactions that make basketball a uniquely emotional sport. Beyond basketball, Somin plays different sports including soccer and remains a passionate fan of Spanish football giants Real Madrid

Share this article