"He’s a good engineer as well as a driver" - Pierre Gasly has already had 'some influence' on Alpine's 2023 F1 car, reveals team director

Alpine team principal Matt Harman revealed that their latest addition to the team, Pierre Gasly, has already had some influence on the 2023 car already, though he joined the team almost at the end of the 2022 season.

Pierre Gasly was with the Red Bull family for a very long time. However, at the end of the 2022 season, it was announced that he was chosen for the vacant Alpine seat, thus, leaving the RB family. After his shift to a new team, he had to be well acquainted with the new car and everything else, and hence his contribution was essential, as PlanetF1.com quoted Harman:

"He’s had some influence since his arrival. Obviously, we’ve had to make sure that he’s comfortable in the car and he’s got all the controls and systems that he needs, but he’s given us some great feedback."

Harman also stated that Gasly is a good 'engineer' as well, which is a good advantage that the team has in the development of the car according to the needs of the Frenchman. He added:

"He’s given us some things to think about in the development of the car. He’s a good engineer as well as a driver and I think that comes across in the conversations I’ve had so far."

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Harman reveals Pierre Gasly is 'comfortable' in the new Alpine car

Alpine's A523, their challenger for the upcoming season, was recently revealed. While the car is expected to be more competitive than the previous season, it is necessary that the drivers find the cars comfortable enough to drive, which is positive in Pierre Gasly's case, as Harman spoke.

He revealed that the Frenchman was absolutely fine driving the car during the filming day (a time when F1 teams are allowed to drive their cars before pre-season testing). He said:

"At the moment, after the filming days, he was very happy. He’s very comfortable with the car, he lives the behaviour and current characteristics so let’s hope we can build on that."

There is a lot for Pierre Gasly to achieve in the upcoming season. He is expected to get a better result than what he was getting at AlphaTauri, where he failed to set the stage alight despite his capabilities.

His teammate Esteban Ocon is set to work with him as well. However, his statements made it clear that he will be battling with 'anyone' (including Gasly) to score higher. While there is a small chance that this could lead to a drift between the two Frenchmen, it is hoped that they will work together.