Portugal Colonial - Gasly to stay at AlphaTauri in 2023

"The 26-year-old Frenchman has been with us since 2017 and this continuity will be a great asset, as he enjoys an excellent working relationship with his group of engineers and everyone in the team," AlphaTauri said in a statement.

"Pierre is a proven race winner, with three podiums and three fastest race laps and to date, he has scored a total of 325 points in Formula 1. He has also developed a reputation as a very strong qualifier."

Gasly sits 11th in the drivers' standings with 16 points accumulated this season, well behind the Red Bull duo of world champion Max Verstappen and Mexico's Sergio Perez.

Gasly had been promoted to a spot at Red Bull in 2019, but the Austrian team decided he was not performing as well as he should have been and he was demoted mid-season to the then-Toro Rosso outfit, now called AlphaTauri.

With an eventual move back up to Red Bull seemingly blocked, as Verstappen is contracted until 2028 and Perez is on board until the end of 2024, Gasly was more than happy to extend with AlphaTauri.

"I have been with this team for five years now and I am proud of the journey we’ve been through together and the progress we have made," he said.

"I’m happy to remain with my Scuderia AlphaTauri team. This year’s new regulations have created new challenges for us and being able to plan our development with the team for the next 18 months is a good working basis for the future."

J.V.Jacinto--PC