‘He can take us to the next level’ – Alpine set out what they expect Gasly to bring to the team

Pierre Gasly can help to push Alpine up the grid in the coming seasons by bringing his experience as the “technical leader” of AlphaTauri, according to the French team’s CEO, Laurent Rossi.

Gasly swaps AlphaTauri for Alpine in 2023 after some six years at the Italian outfit (previously known as Toro Rosso), punctuated by his brief spell alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull – a family he formally leaves with his move to Enstone.

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With Gasly developing into a consistent points-scorer, and enjoying highlights such as his brilliant maiden victory at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, alongside two further podiums, Rossi is eager to see the Frenchman – who replaces Aston Martin-bound Fernando Alonso – slot in next to compatriot Esteban Ocon.

“Hopefully he’s going to bring what we need, which is to continue developing the car, because at the moment, we are still pretty much in the midfield, and we need to take the car a notch up,” said Rossi, just before Alpine clinched fourth position in the 2022 constructors’ standings.

“For that, you need drivers that are not only capable only to go fast and score points with the potential the car gives us, but also to take it to the next level.

“That means that you need to, as of Friday morning, be able to give feedback to the team and take the whole team in the right direction so the car improves – that’s what Pierre, we hope, is going to bring.

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“I mean, he was the technical leader in many ways, I guess, at AlphaTauri. We want him to continue doing that, grow the team, grow himself with us and take us to a new level.”

Gasly has already hit the track in Alpine colours, taking to the wheel of the team’s A522 at the 2022 Abu Dhabi post-season test, which he described as “very special” and “extremely smooth”.