Helmut Marko, the Motorsport Advisor at Red Bull, has poured cold water onto the rumours that Pierre Gasly has a clause in his contract that would allow him to join the BWT Alpine F1 Team next season.
The recent driver merry-go-round that began with the retirement announcement of Sebastian Vettel has seen Fernando Alonso leave Alpine to join the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team on a multi-year contract from 2023, whilst Alpine’s reserve driver Oscar Piastri has distanced himself from replacing the Spaniard.
Daniel Ricciardo has been muted as a possible Alpine arrival as Piastri has been linked with replacing his fellow Australian at the McLaren F1 Team, whilst another name that has been long linked with the team is current Scuderia AlphaTauri driver Gasly.
However, Marko says the Frenchman is under contract with AlphaTauri for 2023 and does not have any kind of clause within that contract to move away from them.
“There is no exit clause for Gasly, there was none before the summer break and there will be none after the summer break,” Marko is quoted as saying to German publication Sport1.
Despite being overlooked for a return to Oracle Red Bull Racing, Gasly is still highly rated within the Red Bull company, and Marko says the Frenchman can be at the front of the field with the right car.
“Pierre is very talented,” Marko said. “He thinks everything through carefully and is very focused.
“With the right car, he can be at the forefront. That is our job now.”
Franz Tost, the Team Principal at AlphaTauri, agrees that Gasly is under contract for 2023, and he believes he is the best option for Red Bull if either Max Verstappen or Sergio Pérez are unavailable for any reason.
“It makes no sense for Red Bull to let Pierre go,” Tost said to Sport1. “If a Red Bull driver fails, there is no other adequate driver who can step in.
“Only Gasly can do that.”
