Confirmed for 2023: De Vries to AlphaTauri and Gasly to Alpine
Published on 08 October 2022 by Kees-Jan Koster
Officially announced on Saturday in Japan: Pierre Gasly will move from AlphaTauri to Alpine. The free seat at AlphaTauri will be taken by Nyck de Vries, who will drive next to Yuki Tsunoda. For the first time since 2006 there will be two Dutch drivers in Formula 1 in 2023.
The 27-year-old driver from the Frisian Uitwellingerga was crowned Formula 2 champion in 2019 and Formula E world champion in 2021. He drove Formula 1 cars multiple times and made his race debut earlier this year at Monza in Italy, where he replaced Alex Albon at Williams.
“I’m extremely excited to be joining Scuderia AlphaTauri for 2023,” according to De Vries. “I want to thank both Red Bull and the team for giving me the opportunity to drive in F1. After F2, 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.”
De Vries continues: “I’ve had a lot of chances to experience the 2022 car this year and I think that has put me in a great position for the upcoming season, I hope this has helped to prepare me for what is to come. 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.”
As Fernando Alonso moves to Aston Martin next year, the French team needed to find a replacement, which they found in Gasly. After nine years, the Frenchman will leave the Red Bull family.
“I am delighted to join the Alpine family and begin this new chapter in my F1 career,” says the 26-year-old Gasly. “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,” Gasly added. “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.”
