Pierre Gasly has revealed the Alpine Formula 1 team has “three good options” to replace Esteban Ocon in 2025, as he reiterated his wish to see Carlos Sainz come in.
Sainz is known to be Alpine’s top target to slot alongside Gasly, who has signed a multi-term renewal to remain with the team through F1’s regulation change in 2026.
However, the Spaniard has admitted again that he is not in a position to announce a decision as he also has concrete proposals from both Sauber/Audi and Williams.
Valtteri Bottas is another ex-race winner available on the market, while Alpine has provided reserve driver Jack Doohan multiple test and practice outings this season.
Gasly denied his opinion would hold much weight in Alpine’s negotiations with interested parties, but proclaimed the team has several strong candidates on the table.
“I think I’ve said already that I think Alpine, the team has good options on the table,” Gasly said.
“At the end of the day, it’s not up to me. I welcome the fastest guy out there. We all know who it is.
“But then, I mean, at the moment, we’ve got to wait. But the team has three good options.”
Gasly expressed earlier this month Sainz was his preferred choice among the listed names, and the Frenchman has divulged that he has been aiding Alpine’s pursuit.
However, the ex-Red Bull racer has accepted that the choice will boil down to what the three-time F1 race winner opts to do as he considers his post-Ferrari prospects.
“I did my fair share of the job, and ultimately I believe in the project we’re building with Alpine,” he added.
“You know, I always back the team up, but now it’s up to him to make his own decision.”
Alpine’s attempts to persuade Sainz to come on board transpired as the Enstone-based squad was sustaining an uptick in results with four consecutive point scores.
However, Alpine endured a disastrous outing at Silverstone as a gearbox issue meant Gasly was unable to start, while Ocon rued a premature move to Intermediates.
Gasly has conceded the Anglo-French marque will continue to be on the backfoot against its midfield rivals until it introduces upgrades to the A524 past the summer.
“I think the car itself, we know where we are. We haven’t really developed over the last few races,” he explained. “So we know how to maximise it.
“Obviously others, 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.”
