Red Bull ready to let Gasly go, but for good money

Several teams have not yet decided on the lineup for next season, for a very specific reason.

When Oscar Piastri publicly refused to continue with Alpine F1, where they counted on his services in 2023, since Fernando Alonso signed a contract with Aston Martin, the French works Renault team found itself in a strange position.

On the one hand, they are sure they have a valid agreement with Piastri, but it seems Alpine’s lawyers have not taken something into account, and the Australian has quietly signed a contract with McLaren. Whoever has more rights to the Oscar in this situation should inquire with the FIA ​​Contract Recognition Council, which has been meeting in Geneva since Monday.

At the same time, Piastri’s candidacy for Alpine is no longer a priority. We said the team seems ready to buy Pierre Gasly from Red Bull. And although Helmut Marko claimed until recently that saying goodbye to a good racer, with whom the Austrian company has worked together for more than a decade, is not in their plans, he is not so categorical now.

Michael Schmidt, a journalist for Auto Motor und Sport, who commented on the weekend’s events at Spa, referred to Marco: a Red Bull motorsport adviser has reportedly confirmed to him that if Alpine offered a “real prize” for Gasly, they would not interfere with Pierre’s transfer to another team and release him from all obligations.

The list of candidates for new partner Esteban Ocon also includes the names of Daniel Ricciardo and Mick Schumacher. The French rider does not hide that he would like to work with Mick as they are old friends, but he understands that he is not making the decision.

In Riccardo’s case, the Australian’s experience can be attributed to the positives, including two seasons, he generally performed well for the Enstone side. But there are also drawbacks: at one point he didn’t say goodbye to Renault F1 in the best way, and in McLaren he can’t approach the car and this year he loses too much to Lando Norris, which tarnished his reputation.

Gasly is now only one point behind Riccardo, but Pierre is driving the AlphaTauri, which is not fast this year. His reputation is in order and Alpine would be happy if two French riders ride for the team. Even if Ocon and Gasly don’t have the best personal relationship.

According to Schmidt, Ricciardo has little chance of finding a place in a good team before 2023. But the same goes for Mick Schumacher if Haas does not want to renew his F1 contract.