In August 2022, Oscar Piastri took to social media platform X to publicly deny any claims of him joining Alpine for the 2023 season. The French outfit previously claimed that the deal was final and that Piastri would drive for them in the coming season, making for the Australian’s dramatic entry into the sport. F1 Experts Peter Windsor and Otmar Szafnauer recently sat down to reflect on the legal proceedings that have unraveled between the driver and the team since the incident. It seems as though Alpine hasn’t really recovered from what happened with Piastri.
Szafnauer was the team principal of Alpine when the incident first happened, and as such, he has first-hand information about the entire incident, which he shared with Peter Windsor while appearing as a guest in an interview on the latter’s official YouTube channel.
Alpine spent a lot of money on Piastri, helping him develop and rise through the ranks. He won the F3 and F2 championships back to back, which made him one of the hottest prospects in the sport. He was Alpine’s reserve driver for 2022. As a result, Alpine felt that his public denial of signing a contract was nothing but betrayal.
The situation around Piastri’s addition to the F1 grid was a tumultuous one, with multiple parties weighing in with their opinions and stakes in the matter. F1’s Contract Recognition Board (CRB) eventually ruled in favor of Piastri and his manager, Mark Webber, after Alpine paid over $675k in legal fees to reach a desirable conclusion.
Speaking of the same, Szafnauer believes had the ruling taken place in an English court, the decision would have been different.
“Had we tested the contract in the English courts because it was governed by the English law, you know, the outcome would have been much different than the CRB.”
According to the court, Piastri was well within his rights to sign a driving contract with McLaren. Despite the shenanigans, the ex-Alpine boss held no grudges against the young driver and instead wished him the best of luck for his future in sport when concluding the segment in the interview. However, due to the financial losses incurred in the legal proceedings, and the amount of money invested in Piastri’s future, Alpine could surely, still be holding a grudge.
Oscar Piastri claimed a “lack of trust” led to him signing for McLaren
On July 4, 2022, Piastri signed an official contract with McLaren for the 2023 F1 season, bringing a twist to his F1 transfer saga. The Australian driver deemed “a complete breakdown in trust” led to him making the sudden move, replacing fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren.
Alpine originally had plans of having Piastri drive for Williams in 2023. As a result, after Fernando Alonso announced his departure, without any official contracts signed, the team announced that Piastri will be driving for them in 2023.
During an interview, Piastri claimed the incident involving Alpine was a “bizarre and frankly upsetting episode.” He added McLaren was much more straightforward and keen to have him. Meanwhile, a lack of clarity at Alpine led to distrust between the two parties. As such, signing for McLaren felt like the best option for Piastri, given his future in the sport.
