Pierre Gasly will have the same salary as Fernando Alonso at Alpine, but it’s almost a $5 million hike for the French superstar.
After a long series of rumours, Alpine has declared that they would be hiring Pierre Gasly’s services for the 2023 season. The French team had a long list of prospective candidates to replace Fernando Alonso.
However, Alpine being a French team, and having two drivers from Normandy, had some great domestic interests, Thus, Gasly being French helped him to jump over his competitors.
🚨 CONFIRMED 🚨
Pierre Gasly will drive for Alpine next season! 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/TYY2b2OE24
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 8, 2022
While Red Bull had concerns over losing a talented driver like Gasly, they planned minimal hiccups in his agreement with Alpine, provided they got a staunch replacement. In Nyck de Vries, AlphaTauri hopes to have a similar impact.
Also read: Mika Hakkinen concerned with Suzuka circuit safety errors and empathizes with Pierre Gasly
A $5 million hike for Pierre Gasly
While Gasly surely got a career boost with Alpine, he will also see a financial upgrade with his compatriots. According to Sportune.20minutes.fr, he will get the same salary as Fernando Alonso.
The Spaniard was earning approximately $15 million at Alpine. Meanwhile, according to the same source, Gasly was on a $10 million per year contract.
Thus, giving a massive financial hike to Gasly. The 26-year-old is now just four races away from joining Alpine on a two-year-long contract.
Alpine reached out to Daniel Ricciardo too
Among the candidates Alpine was considering replacing Alonso with, Daniel Ricciardo was a strong candidate. The Australian’s two-year relationship with the French team and his decorated F1 career was major factor in it.
Alpine boss Otmar Szafnaeur claims that his entourage indeed reached Ricciardo. However, things didn’t materialize as they found Gasly to be the ideal candidate who brings in the mix of “youth, experience and speed”.
Now it remains to be seen how Gasly will bond with Esteban Ocon in 2023, as according to the media, they share a strained relationship. Though, Ocon’s welcome post to Gasly indicated the opposite. Nevertheless, this is a move Gasly must have been seeking after Red Bull snub for three years.
Also read: Jenson Button praises Max championship win at Suzuka Circuit
