Alpine would have signed Pierre Gasly even if he ‘had been from Bangladesh’

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi stated that the team would have signed Pierre Gasly if he was from Bangladesh and not France.

There have been reports claiming that the French outfit signed the former AlphaTauri driver to amass more home support in their country after having an all-French lineup alongside Esteban Ocon in 2023.

After Fernando Alonso's shock decision to depart the team last season, Gasly and Ricciardo were the main contenders for the seat, which Pierre Gasly eventually secured.

Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, Rossi said:

“No, not at all. Which is the big, big surprise everyone gets all the time. If Pierre had been from Bangladesh, I would have taken him."

Rossi also mentioned that there has been a change of mood in France, courtesy of having an all-French lineup, heading into the 2023 season. He explained:

“For sure, I’ve noticed a change of mood. At the very beginning, everyone was skeptical because it’s true that Renault has been trying to get back on the podiums for a long, long, long, long time unsuccessfully and it’s been a bit of a tiring factor for people. We don’t believe that anymore."

"I think they're starting to see the momentum because getting to P4 last year was big progress. We’re getting more and more of the support of the crowd. The sales are through the roof and people are constantly telling us that they love the brand. So I guess something is happening.”

"As long as you behave like adults, I'll treat you like adults" - Alpine CEO on Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon

The Alpine CEO mentioned that Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are free to race on the racetrack as long as they 'behave like adults'. He said:

"I told them, I said, 'I'll let you race as long as you behave like adults, I'll treat you like adults. If you make the team worse off. If one of you is in the ditch and we don't finish and we don't have as many points as we could have because the car has the potential, then that means you have behaved like kids. I'll treat you like kids. I would basically ground one of you or the both of you and I will do it, I think, and sue my back.'"

Many have predicted that Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon will clash at some point in the season. It will be interesting to see if Rossi is true to his word if that happens.