Gasly vs Ocon - who will be team leader? Will they clash?
Gasly and Ocon will form an all-French F1 2023 driver line-up for Alpine, the French team, rekindling their childhood friendship which has since turned sour.
Gasly has signed a multi-year deal to join from AlphaTauri as the replacement for Fernando Alonso.
“Esteban will think he’s team leader because he’s part of the furniture now,” ex-F1 driver di Resta said on Sky.
“But Pierre will come in and look at what Fernando has been able to do against Esteban. Fernando has that wealth of experience.
“Pierre is coming in thinking he’s the chosen one.
“That’s where they will come together. It will be cosy to begin with. But at some point they will come together on the track.
“It depends what the management says: ‘This is acceptable, this is not’.
“They may flourish. They may have the competition to drive the team forwards.”
Jenson Button added: “French drivers in a French team? I don’t know if it will be like at Ferrari, with Italian drivers in an Italian team. Not an easy atmosphere.”
Alonso was among the highest-paid in the list of F1 driver salaries this season but, after Alpine shed his pay packet, they will replace him with Gasly.
Gasly and Ocon are both currently earning an estimated £4.1m in 2022 but their pay next year could indicate their seniority in Alpine’s eyes.
Gasly will be replaced by Nyck de Vries, who will partner Yuki Tsunoda, at AlphaTauri next season.
Ocon shone in Qualifying for the F1 Japanese Grand Prix and will start in fifth, with Gasly 17th.
