Daniel Ricciardo’s route to a competitive seat in Formula 1 is facing a new threat, with Alpine reportedly considering luring Pierre Gasly from AlphaTauri to fill its 2023 vacancy.
Alpine is the best seat left on the grid for next season after Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri both snubbed the French squad in a sensational 48 hours of developments in the driver market at the start of the month.
Piastri had negotiated himself into McLaren’s orbit, triggering Woking to start termination negotiations with Ricciardo, who announced last week that he would leave the team at the end of the season with a year to run on his contract.
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The Australian has said he’s determined to continue in Formula 1, but with his reputation battered and the frontrunning teams accounted for, a reunion with Alpine was thought the most likely option for the Australian to retain a place near the point end of the field.
Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer said earlier this month that Ricciardo’s split from the French team in 2020 wouldn’t be an impediment to a renewal of the relationship, though this weekend he insisted he wouldn’t contemplate any other drivers before the FIA contract recognition board ruled on whether it had first dibs on Piastri.
However, on Saturday in Belgium Autosport reported that Alpine is now coveting Pierre Gasly as a replacement for Alonso next year, which would set up an all-French dream team alongside incumbent Esteban Ocon.
Such a move would leave Ricciardo locked out of at least the top five teams on the grid.
There would be significant hurdles to such a deal, however.
AlphaTauri and Pierre Gasly recommitted to each other just this year through to the end of 2023, likely scuppering suggestions that the Frenchman could pull an exit trigger to move to a team higher up on the championship table.
The Red Bull hierarchy also badly needs Gasly in the fold for at least another year given it’s not yet fully convinced of Yuki Tsunoda’s ultimate potential, particularly in light of his recent streak of crashes, and given its F2 talent isn’t breaking down the door for promotion.
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Rumours have suggested that the Faenza team might induct Mick Schumacher into Gasly’s place, but it’s debatable at best the Red Bull junior squad would consider the German a like-for-like replacement given he’s likely to be dropped by Haas this year.
Autosport has reported Colton Herta is of interest to the Red Bull junior outfit, but the American is contracted to both Andretti in IndyCar and McLaren on a test and evaluation basis in Formula 1, meaning two contracts would have to be paid out before he could become available.
Herta is also without a superlicence and unable to acquire one this season via IndyCar given he’s too far down the title standings with just two rounds remaining. The FIA can make an exception to its own rules to grant a licence, but given the points schedule was relatively recently updated and IndyCar didn’t have its importance boosted, such a move would appear unlikely.
No move can be ruled out given the febrile nature of this year’s driver market, but alternatively Alpine may be sounding out drivers to strengthen its bargaining power in negotiations with Ricciardo given both team and driver currently have relatively weak hands.
Ricciardo previously commanded a considerable salary at Renault reportedly worth US$55 million (A$80 million) over two years. Though his McLaren stipend is reportedly less, his star power when switching teams meant he remained one of the grid’s best remunerated drivers as one of the sport’s most recognisable faces.
“I think we should wait for Monday or Tuesday (after the contract recognition board meets) and then thereafter look at our situation, having good information and make those decisions,” Szafnauer said this weekend when asked about possible drivers for 2023. “Sitting here right now, it‘s just hypothetical. And I’d rather wait a day or two. It’s not long.”
