Pierre Gasly says he has “done enough” in persuading retiring Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz to join Alpine.
Despite Alpine’s poor form and lackluster season, Gasly has strengthened his commitment to the Enstone squad and has recently extended his contract for the next few years.
But with current team-mate Esteban Ocon leaving at the end of the year, there is a vacancy to fill, and Alpine’s recently appointed executive adviser Flavio Briatore has identified Sainz as a prime candidate.
The Spaniard could be a key player for Alpine, but the three-time Grand Prix winner is also a popular choice with Mercedes, Williams and Sauber-Audi also considering a move for Sainz.
“I did my part,” Gasly said in Hungary on Thursday.
“Ultimately, I believe in the project we’re building with Alpine. I’ve always supported the team, but now he has to make his own decisions.”
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Gasly added that Alpine had “many good options” aside from Sainz, but the 29-year-old stressed he had no say over who his team-mate would be.
“Ultimately, it’s not my job,” he added. “I welcome the fastest guy. We all know who that is.
“We have to wait for now, but the team has three good options.”
Unfortunately, Gasly missed the last race at Silverstone with a gearbox issue on the formation lap for the British Grand Prix.
“We didn’t get a real picture of the performance there,” he admitted. “Obviously the qualifying was in mixed conditions and I wasn’t involved in that and I wasn’t involved in the race.
“So according to the data I got from free practice, I did 15 laps over the weekend.
“It looked a little bit more difficult. The long straights and the efficiency we needed in terms of power and aero might not have been advantageous for our package, but I think we had a chance to do something. It was a shame we couldn’t race.”
Alpine currently sits eighth in Formula 1’s constructors’ rankings, losing one place to Haas, who has enjoyed solid points in Austria and Britain.
“We haven’t really progressed in the last few races,” Gasly explained. “So we know how to maximise it. Others, like Haas for example, are making significant progress.
“The midfield is so solid that it feels like the order changes every time the team brings in a new player.
“So I think we know we have to try. It’s not going to be easy to score points until we get some new upgrades to the car. Then hopefully we can get a little bit better in the fight.”
