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Pierre Gasly has said that one of the biggest reasons why he wanted to go to Alpine was the team's willingness to have him in their fold.
Alpine had to work very hard to secure the AlphaTauri man and convince him about their project and that the team believed in him. Talking to motorsport.com, Gasly said that the will of the French team to get him out of Red Bull impressed him. He said:
"That was definitely one of the most important, let's say, criteria for me, which made it very clear for me that I should go there, is how strong their will was to get me out of Red Bull and to get me in that car."
He continued:
"They made it very clear straight away they had to work very hard in terms of negotiations; it was not an easy deal to make between all parties involved. And it just felt like straight away they really pushed so hard to get me, and they really believe in that project."
Gasly said that the opportunity came up during the summer break and it was at that time that he started discussing with both Alpine and Red Bull. The Frenchman added that leaving the Red Bull umbrella, the one he has been part of throughout his career was a tough decision for him. He said:
"The opportunity came up in the summer, and we started to have conversations about it. It's obviously a big move for me. I've been with Red Bull for nine years, pretty much my entire career with them. It definitely feels like closing a chapter and starting on a new journey. To me, I must say, it felt natural and very quickly the right decision to take."
Pierre Gasly (23) is 13th in the driver standings ahead of the US GP in Austin this weekend.
"It's the right time to take off on my own" - Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly also added after spending a long time with AlphaTauri, it was the right time for him to seek another challenge. He said:
"Just based on where I am in my career, based on Alpine's ambition, based on their progress over the last few years. Just getting better and better every season, they have this strategy to be fighting at the front over the next 100 grands prix, and they are just going in the right direction."
He added:
"For me, it's also the right time to take off on my own, grab this opportunity with a manufacturer. I definitely believe in this project, and I'm very excited about it."
Pierre Gasly will team up with Esteban Ocon at Alpine next season. It remains to be seen how the all-French line-up performs together.
