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Pierre Gasly will be replacing Fernando Alonso at Alpine for the 2023 F1 season. He will be partnering with Esteban Ocon, making it the first all-French line-up for Renault/Alpine since Alain Prost and Rene Arnoux teamed up in the 1980s. Many F1 pundits, however, have expressed objections to Gasly getting the nod at Alpine.
Having an all-French lineup does limit the demography Alpine could target. To add to this, Gasly and current Alpine driver Ocon don't really see eye to eye. The two used to be very close when they were young but had a falling out during their karting days. Having two drivers that don't necessarily like each other is not a recipe for a great team by any means. Having said that, here's why we feel Gasly was the perfect choice as a replacement for Alonso.
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Pierre Gasly's performances have been stellar
Lest we forget, Pierre Gasly was a grand prix winner for AlphaTauri in 2020. The French driver, once a Red Bull Racing reject, returned to his roots in AlphaTauri and won his first-ever race with the team at Monza of all places. He repeated what a multiple world champion in Sebastian Vettel had done in the 2008 F1 season in a Toro Rosso.
Even last season, Pierre Gasly went toe-to-toe with some of the best drivers on the gird and held his own. Who can forget the nail-biting podium battle between Gasly and Charles Leclerc in the dying stages of the 2021 F1 Azerbaijan GP? Gasly, in an AlphaTauri, was able to beat Leclerc in a Ferrari. The French driver's career did take a jolt when he was dropped by Red Bull, but since then, he's been one of the most consistent performers on the grid.
His performances this season have not been in the spotlight courtesy of the machinery. Regardless, his drive at Baku this season was one of the most impressive races from a driver all season.
Much has been made of Yuki Tsunoda finally improving and cutting down the mistakes. Despite a new and improved version of Tsunoda alongside him, however, Gasly has more than double the points of his teammate. In terms of driving, he has proved himself in the midfield all these years, and the level at which he performs is perfect for Alpine.
If not Pierre Gasly, then who?
In terms of the drivers who were in contention, let's see if any of them could have been a better prospect. Jack Doohan is too young and raw while Daniel Ricciardo has already dumped the team once. Sebastian Vettel has retired while Mick Schumacher is an unknown commodity, and so is Nico Hulkenberg (if he was ever considered).
Looking at the options available on the table, there's hardly anyone else who was either a practical or a logical choice in this case. The only reason Alpine had to take this much time to finally announce Gasly was because Red Bull did not have a replacement in place for him. If the team did, Gasly would have already been announced.
The intra-team rivalry will reveal the leader at Alpine
Esteban Ocon vs. Pierre Gasly. Who is the best driver? Who will do a better job? It's tough to answer that question. While Gasly has gone on to score podiums and pick up a win in his career, Ocon also has a podium and a win under his belt.
While Pierre Gasly has been very impressive against his teammates, Esteban Ocon has had some very strong teammates in his career. Even this season, despite Fernando Alonso being in his pomp, Ocon has a better points tally.
At the moment, it's hard to say which of the two will have an advantage over the other. Will it be Gasly or will it be Ocon? In our view, the battle will be very close, just like the one this season between Alonso and Ocon. The two French drivers, irrespective of the needle between them, will be engaged in a battle of supremacy at Alpine.
Whichever driver beats the other is going to be the team leader. It is during this battle between Ocon and Gasly that will motivate the team to do better. A combination of two very competitive and strong drivers is the way to take the team forward. Gasly and Ocon might not get along very well, but as a team, they can do a lot of damage.
