Oscar Piastri and his agent Mark Webber are flirting with Mclaren, who can dethrone compatriot Daniel Ricciardo and leave Alpine helpless.
The sudden announcement of Fernando Alonso leaving for Aston Martin for 2023 has startled the whole drivers’ market. Oscar Piastri, who sacrificed his 2022 to stay at Alpine after convincingly winning the 2021 F2 championship, seems to be the obvious replacement.
However, things aren’t as smooth as they seem to be. Initially, Alpine thought of providing Piastri with a stint at Williams, but no development in that has propelled his agent Mark Webber to look for other avenues.
Recent reports have surfaced that Webber is in talks to get Piastri at McLaren in place of their compatriot Daniel Ricciardo. This might not have been an enormous problem for Alpine had Alonso decided to stay.
But with a sudden vacuum, this could be a huge problem for Alpine. So, Alpine would have to pull a few strings before they are forced to pick a driver from a list of undesirable drivers.
Also read: $20 Million per year earning F1 driver rejected Aston Martin only to accept them year later
It’s not that easy for Oscar Piastri
However, things wouldn’t be so smooth for Piastri to convince his bosses at Alpine to let him go. The Australian still has a contract with the French team.
On the other hand, McLaren also has a year left with Ricciardo in his contract. Therefore, giving the Honey badger away a massive compensation to drop him only to replace him with a rookie is a huge gamble.
Meanwhile, it isn’t sure where team principal Andreas Seidl’s allegiance lies. In all situations, he has defended Ricciardo in his lousy form and still expects him to perform at the top.
Now, it remains to be seen what decision will be made by the Woking-based team. But, indeed, Alpine wouldn’t be comfortable letting go of a talented prospect while they are without a second driver for next year.
Also read: The luxurious life of Daniel Ricciardo at Alpine (Renault)
