Alpine team boss, Bruno Famin, reveals why the French team decided to extend Pierre Gasly’s contract. He also hints at why Esteban Ocon is leaving the team. However, Famin remains tight-lipped about who will replace Ocon.
Before the Grand Prix weekend in Austria, the French team announced that Pierre Gasly would remain with the team beyond 2025. On the other hand, Esteban Ocon will depart from Alpine at the end of 2024. Team boss Bruno Famin explains why Alpine chose to stick with Gasly and not extend Ocon’s contract.
“We all know that we were at the end of the cycle with Esteban, it was five years,” says Famin. “It was difficult to keep both of them because we need to renew. We are also doing this on the engineering side, we need to renew the blood to improve, to change the process.” According to Famin, the decision was made to retain Pierre Gasly because he still has “a lot to bring to the team. He will develop in a different way, with a different image.”
Alpine Team Boss Confident in Gasly’s Commitment
The Alpine team boss is confident that Gasly also sees the “interesting step” the team has taken since Bahrain. “If we had still been in the last row during the race in Barcelona, we would have had a harder time convincing him of the project,” he said. The French driver himself also indicates that he wants to continue growing with the team. “It would be a shame to stop here. I have always felt that I wanted to continue,” Gasly said.
Alpine is in No Rush
With Gasly’s contract extension, there is only one seat left at the French team for next year. Reserve driver Jack Doohan is one of the candidates to sit next to Gasly. WEC driver Mick Schumacher and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz are also being linked with the French team. “We are taking our time,” Famin replied when asked when Alpine will make the choice for the second driver. “We are not under pressure to make a quick decision about the second driver.”
