Summer break is already knocking on the front door, which means it’s time for even more driver transfer news and rumours. The latest announcement only dates back to a few hours ago, when Haas confirmed that at the end of the season they will part ways with Kevin Magnussen.
However, there are still many seats to be filled for the upcoming season, with Alpine being one of the most undecided as of now. The team has submitted an offer to Carlos Sainz, with Jack Doohan and Mick Schumacher potentially as options.
Alpine’s other driver slot will be taken by Pierre Gasly, who had signed a multi-year contract extension ahead of the Austrian GP. The Frenchman was asked for his opinion on the matter of which kind of driver should his team opt for.
“I’ve said already that I think Alpine, the team has good options on the table. At the end of the day, it’s not up to me.”
The former Red Bull driver implies that among all the names swirling around, Sainz, who he was teammates with for two weekends at Toro Rosso in 2017, would be the one for him, while remarking the fact that he doesn’t get to make the final call.
“I welcome the fastest guy out there. We all know who it is, but then, at the moment, we’ve got to wait. But the team has three good options.”
Asked more explicitly about the Spaniard, Gasly admitted that he has tried to talk him into joining the Alpine project long term.
“I did my fair share of the job, and ultimately I believe in the project we’re building with Alpine. You know, I always back the team up, but now it’s up to him to make his own decision.”
The 2020 Italian GP winner also discussed the actual form the A524 has been displaying as of late. Gasly was in the points for four consecutive races but did not start to at Silverstone round due to a gearbox issue occurring during the formation lap.
“I think the car itself, we know where we are. We haven’t really developed over the last few races. So we know how to maximise it. Obviously others as well, you know, like Haas, for example, making quite big steps forward.
“It’s so tight in that midfield that it kind of reshuffles the order every time a team brings a new part. So I think we’ve got to try, but it’s not easy to score points until we get new upgrades on the car, which hopefully will put us a bit more in the fight,” concluded the Frenchman.
