Motor racing-Gasly, Stroll add pieces to F1 puzzle waiting for Sainz move
By Alan Baldwin
June 27 (Reuters) - Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll added more pieces to Formula One's driver puzzle with the announcement on Thursday of extensions keeping them at Renault-owned Alpine and Aston Martin respectively into the sport's new engine era starting in 2026.
The news left seven of the 20 seats still undecided, although some are effectively taken.
Alpine have announced the departure of Gasly's fellow-Frenchman Esteban Ocon at the end of the season while Aston Martin confirmed in April that Fernando Alonso was staying in a lineup now set for a couple more years.
Gasly can expect to be under-performing Alpine's clear leader on the track, unless they can persuade Carlos Sainz to join from Ferrari, and will help a team in dire need of stability.
"I’ve been officially here for over 18 months and it has always been the plan to build a long-term project with the team," said Gasly, veteran of 140 races and Italian Grand Prix winner with Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri (now RB) in 2020.
"While on-track it’s been a challenging season so far, I remain faithful to the project and I am not going anywhere."
Stroll, son of team owner Lawrence, said he was staying for 2025 and beyond.
Sainz, a race winner who is losing his seat to seven-times champion Lewis Hamilton at the end of the year, is key to the merry-go-round and the Spaniard hasyet to decide which of several offers to accept.
BRIATORE RETURN
He is being courted by Sauber, set to become the Audi works team in 2026, and Williams but Alpine have reportedly also made a late bid following the return of former boss Flavio Briatore as an advisor.
Italian Briatore has managed Alonso, who is close to Sainz, throughout his F1 career and the younger Spaniard also previously raced for Renault before moving to McLaren and then Ferrari.
Australian Jack Doohan, the 21-year-old son of motorcycle great Mick, would otherwise be a leading contender for Ocon's seat as a rookie and current team reserve alongside an experienced race winner.
"We will take our time in deciding Pierre’s team mate and we are excited with the options we have on the table," Alpine team principal Bruno Famin said.
Mercedes are expected to promote Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Hamilton's rookie replacement. Ocon has been tipped for a move to Haas, alongside likely rookie signing Oliver Bearman, or Sauber.
Sauber and Williams each have a seat up for grabs, the former having signed Nico Hulkenberg from Haas and the latter with Alex Albon secured.
Sauber's Valtteri Bottas would be a contender, depending on Sainz and Ocon's decisions, with China's Zhou Guanyu (Sauber) and American Logan Sargeant (Williams) at risk of being left without seats.
The three top teams -- champions Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren -- all have confirmed lineups.
RB have Japan's Yuki Tsunoda signed up for 2025 but Australian Daniel Ricciardo's position looks precarious, with New Zealand's Liam Lawson waiting for his chance.
"The shareholders have made it clear that RB is a junior team, and we have to act accordingly," Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko told Austria's Kleine Zeitung.
"(Ricciardo's) goal was to qualify for Red Bull with exceptional performances, but that seat now belongs to Sergio Perez. That plan is no longer going to happen, and we will soon have to put in a young driver. That would be Liam Lawson."
Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond
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