Daniel Ricciardo won’t be racing in F1 next year (Photo: Getty)
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has revealed that the team held talks with Daniel Ricciardo over a race seat for 2023 before ultimately signing Pierre Gasly.
After shockingly losing both Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri over the summer, to Aston Martin and McLaren respectively, Alpine were on the hunt for a new driver to partner Esteban Ocon for next season.
The list of candidates was long and wide-ranging, with Szafnauer claiming at one stage that they were 14 drivers under serious consideration.
Ricciardo who was forced out of McLaren to make way for Piastri was always thought to be one of the frontrunners for the seat, given his strong reputation as an eight-time race winner, even if the past two years have been difficult for him.
The 33-year-old also had strong ties to Alpine, having driven for the French team from 2019 to 2020 when they were known as Renault, though there were rumours that his departure to McLaren had broken that bridge.
In the end, Gasly emerged as the favourite and was announced as an Alpine driver during last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, with Mercedes reserve driver Nyck de Vries replacing him at AlphaTauri.
But Szafnauer has now confirmed that Ricciardo was indeed one of the drivers on the shortlist and revealed that there were talks over the Australian returning to the team.
Pierre Gasly, second from right, will race for Alpine next season (Photo: Alpine)
‘At the beginning [of the search for a driver] we did have discussions with a few drivers, including Daniel,’ Szafnauer said.
‘[But] Pierre meets the criteria to a tee – he’s experienced, fast and young.
‘So when it became evident Pierre was a possibility, we made our shortlist even shorter.’
Shortly after Gasly’s move was announced, Ricciardo confirmed that he would be taking a sabbatical for 2023, with the popular driver not in the running for the two vacant seats left on the grid at Haas and Williams.
He said: ‘The reality now is I won’t be on the grid in ’23. I think it’s now just trying to set-up for ’24.
‘I think there could be some better opportunities then, so that’s really what all this confirms and now where the sights are set.
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The French team opted to sign Pierre Gasly for 2023 instead.
