Pierre Gasly will race for Alpine on a multiyear deal from next season after securing an early release from his AlphaTauri contract.
Formula E and Formula 2 champion Nyck de Vries will replace him in Faenza alongside Yuki Tsunoda.
Alpine has been keen to pinch one-time race winner Gasly since Australian junior Oscar Piastri sensationally quit the team in August to join McLaren. Piastri had been in line to replace incumbent Fernando Alonso, who will depart Enstone for Aston Martin next year.
Watch every practice, qualifying and race of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship™ live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
But 26-year-old Frenchman had already recommitted to AlphaTauri for 2023 earlier this year, requiring him to seek the permission of his Red Bull backers to make the change.
Gasly has been eager to leave the Red Bull ecosystem and move up the grid since Sergio Perez signed a two-year deal to remain with Red Bull Racing earlier this year, closing the door to a possible second promotion to the senior team for the three-time podium getter.
Red Bull was keen to ensure it had an “interesting” alternative before cancelling his contract and originally targeted American IndyCar star Colton Herta for the position, but the FIA refused to bend the rules to grant him a superlicence.
Nyck de Vries then became a shock player in the driver market after scoring points in his surprise debut outing for Williams at the Italian Grand Prix while substituting for the unwell Alex Albon.
Qualifying Highlights – Bathurst | 01:35
AlphaTauri reportedly presented him with a contract the week after Monza, which he is said to have signed last week before the Singapore Grand Prix.
The deal has freed Gasly to break his nine-year association with Red Bull to join Alpine alongside compatriot Esteban Ocon from next season.
“I am delighted to join the Alpine family and begin this new chapter in my Formula 1 career,” Gasly said. “Driving for a team that has French roots is something very special.
“I know the strengths of Alpine having raced against them over the past couple of years, and clearly their progress and ambition is very impressive.
“I wish to thank Red Bull as this marks the end of our nine-year journey together. It is thanks to their trust and support that I became a Formula 1 driver, and what we’ve achieved with Scuderia AlphaTauri over the last years has been very special.
“Looking ahead, I want to give the maximum and utilise all my experience to fight for podiums and ultimately contribute to Alpine’s fight for championships in the future.”
AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost thanked Gasly for his commitment to the team.
“Scuderia AlphaTauri had a very successful time with Pierre,” he said. “We will never forget his fantastic victory in Monza and his podium finishes in Brazil and Azerbaijan.
“I want to thank Pierre for all the effort he’s put into the team in the last years, and I wish him all the best for his future.”
Gasly and Ocon are rumoured not to get along after a dispute dating back to their karting days, but Alpine is evidently confident it can manage what could be a fractious partnership in the interests of forming a French superteam.
The moment that cost SVG 3 positions! | 00:47
De Vries will step into as full-time race seat after three years as the Mercedes test and reserve driver.
The 27-year-old has had few opportunities to move into Formula 1 despite being highly credentialed as the 2019 Formula 2 champion and 2020–21 Formula E world champion.
He was set to take a seat in the World Endurance Championship this season before his shock chance to join the grid as a Red Bull-backed driver, which will potentially put him in line to replace Perez when the Mexican’s contract comes up for renewal at the end of 2024.
“I’m extremely excited to be joining Scuderia AlphaTauri for 2023” De Vries said. “I want to thank both Red Bull and the team for giving me the opportunity to drive in F1.
“After Formula 2 I took a slightly different path with motorsport, but F1 has always been my dream and I’m grateful to be able to fulfil it.
“Having spent most of my teenage years in Italy for karting, I’ve always felt at home there, so for me it’s great to be joining an Italian team that already has a real family feel, and I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and to start to build our relationship before the next season.”
Tost said De Vries’s multidisciplinary experience would be an asset to the team.
“He is a very high skilled driver, as he won in all the categories he competed in, with many races and championships under his belt,” he said. “His last big success was winning the Formula E world championship, and this is clear evidence that he is a very competitive driver who deserves a seat in F1.
“I am looking forward to seeing him in our car and I’m confident that with Yuki and Nyck we will have a very strong driver line up for 2023.”
The moves leave two seats vacant on the grid for 2023, with one apiece at Haas and Williams still uncommitted.
Williams had been in the running for De Vries but is now considering promoting junior driver Logan Sargeant from Formula 2. The American must finish at least sixth in the championship to secure a superlicence; he’s currently third one round to go in Abu Dhabi.
Australian Jack Doohan, fourth in the F2 standings, is widely considered as an alternative on loan from Alpine, where he’s next in line behind Piastri.
Axing Ricciardo tough | 01:18
Haas is weighing up dropping Mick Schumacher for Nico Hulkenberg. Team boss Guenther Steiner said he expects to make a decision this month, with the son of legendary seven-time champion Michael Schumacher expected to lose his seat.
Schumacher crashed out of first practice at the Japanese Grand Prix in an accident that has potentially cost him his chassis, which would be a significant financial blow to the team. The 23-year-old has already racked up an expensive repair bill this season after two enormous smashes in Saudi Arabia and Monaco.
A mini resurgence in the middle of the season saw him finally score his first points at the British Grand Prix in July, but neither he nor teammate Kevin Magnussen has been able to score since the following race in Austria.
Daniel Ricciardo is still without a contract for 2023 after being sacked by McLaren and is expected to sit out the season, with reports he may sign with Mercedes as a reserve driver with a view to rejoining the grid in 2024.
