Pierre Gasly shares what he’s done to convince Carlos Sainz to join Alpine

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Carlos Sainz is once again attracting plenty of attention ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend. With exactly half the season gone, he still hasn’t chosen his next team.

Sainz has known since the winter that Ferrari are signing Lewis Hamilton and letting his contract run down. But rather than quickly resolving his future, he’s opted to play a high-risk, high-reward waiting game.

The Spaniard is banking on his stock being so high that multiple teams will wait for him. And it seems to be working, with the bottom five in the constructors’ championship all yet to confirm their line-ups.

Of course, Mercedes are the team Sainz really wants to join. An effective ‘driver swap’ with Ferrari seemed the most likely outcome at first.

The Silver Arrows then turned their attention to academy driver Kimi Antonelli instead. But amid uncertainty over whether the 17-year-old will be ready for 2025, Toto Wolff could offer Sainz a one-year deal.

The Spaniard would face another season of questions about his future if he accepted such an arrangement. But based on Mercedes’ impressive progress of late, he could have a chance of winning multiple races or even competing for the title at Brackley in 2025.

Pierre Gasly hints he’s spoken to Carlos Sainz over Alpine seat

Alpine have been one of the protagonists in the race to sign the 29-year-old. Earlier this month, Sainz seemed set to partner Pierre Gasly, but then Mercedes’ stance appeared to shift.

Gasly has signed a new multi-year deal to commit to the team, but his teammate Esteban Ocon is leaving by mutual consent. Sainz is understandably their top target to replace him.

During the drivers’ press conference in Budapest, presenter Tom Clarkson directly asked Gasly if he’d spoken to Sainz about joining. He hinted that he’d done his part in trying to convince him.

“I did my fair share of the job,” he said. “But ultimately, I believe in the project we’re building with Alpine. I always back the team up. Now it’s up to him to make his own decision.”

If Alpine lose out on Sainz, they know they can promote reserve driver Jack Doohan instead. Mick Schumacher also believes he stands a chance after representing the team in the World Endurance Championship.

Gasly once called for Sainz to be ‘banned’

Former Red Bull juniors Gasly and Sainz seem to have repaired their relationship after a public spat in 2023. It began at the Canadian GP, when the former felt as if the Ferrari driver had dangerously impeded him at the last chicane.

A furious Gasly called for Sainz to be ‘banned for a such thing‘ over the team radio. Soon after, at the British GP, the Alpine man rebuked him in the media pen for ‘squeezing’ him out on track.

Alpine team principal Bruno Famin will likely place an additional emphasis on harmony within the team after recent events. His two drivers collided at the start of the Monaco GP, ratcheting up the internal tension.

Ocon and Gasly were childhood friends but they fell out over a karting race. They also made contact in the 2023 Australian GP, the sixth time Ocon has hit a teammate during his F1 career.