Pierre Gasly admits Alpine driver and F1 rival are ‘fighting for our careers’

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Alpine driver Pierre Gasly has admitted he and teammate Esteban Ocon are ‘fighting for our careers’ in Formula 1 and to be the leader of the French squad going forward.

Gasly joined Ocon at Alpine for the 2023 season after the Renault-owned team paid Red Bull almost £9m for his signature. The 27-year-old replaced Fernando Alonso with his compatriot after the Spaniard decided to join Aston Martin. Gasly had a contract at AlphaTauri for 2023.

Red Bull had only extended Gasly’s deal to drive for AlphaTauri in June of last year. But they agreed to let him replace Alonso at Alpine and end their eight-year association. He had been a part of the Red Bull driver academy since 2014 and broke into Formula 1 with Toro Rosso.

Gasly admits he and Ocon are ‘fighting for our careers’ at Alpine

Alpine handed Gasly a two-year contract to drive beside Ocon worth the same €15m-a-year (£13m-a/y) that Alonso earned. His terms also give the French outfit the option to extend it by another 12 months. But Gasly believes he and Ocon are both fighting for their F1 careers.

He further claims the Alpine drivers are locked in an intense battle to emerge as the team’s leader. Gasly marginally pips Ocon in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. He has scored 62 points to sit in 11th spot, ahead of Ocon in 12th with 46.

“Esteban and I are both fighting for our careers,” Gasly has told Formula 1’s Beyond The Grid podcast. “We both want to make it to the top and be the team leader.

“But I accept this challenge because Esteban is a very fast and very talented driver. You need a teammate like that. And I know how much he wants to be ahead of me and vice versa. This is nothing personal because I want to beat all drivers.”

Gasly has the edge on points but both drivers have podium results

Gasly has scored points in 11 of the 20 Grand Prix he has raced with Alpine ahead of the Las Vegas GP. The Rouen native further finished on the podium at the Dutch GP with third place in August. He also finished in third in the Sprint at the Belgian GP before the summer break.

Ocon has also scored points in 11 Grand Prix so far this season and finished third in Monaco. But the 27-year-old from Evreux, France has also retired from six Grand Prix whilst Gasly has only failed to finish once. He will hope to end his fourth year with Alpine in much better form.