The Contract Recognition board have ruled that Alpine will have to foot McLaren and Oscar Piastri’s legal expenses after losing the trial.
After a month since the news broke out, the Alpine-McLaren-Oscar Piastri fiasco has finally been settled. Oscar Piastri will be driving for McLaren from the 2023 season onwards.
The controversy broke out after Alpine declared Piastri was set to driver for the French team following Fernando Alonso’s departure. But Piastri declined to have signed any such contracts with the team.
He claimed he will not be driving for Alpine. Instead, Piastri and McLaren signed an agreement on July 4 after the 2022 British GP to confirm his spot in the McLaren’s lineup if Daniel Ricciardo leaves.
McLaren later announced they would be ending Ricciardo’s contract a year early. Hence Piastri’s status will be upgraded to permanent race driver for the next season.
Alpine who were angered by their young talent being poached by a rival took the case to the Contract Recognition board. However, the verdict by the CRB states that Piastri’s agreement with McLaren was his only valid deal for next year
Piastri released a statement after being confirmed by McLaren saying, “I’m extremely excited to be making my F1 debut with such a prestigious team as McLaren. And I’m very grateful for the opportunity that’s been offered to me.”
This meant Alpine have lost the services of two talents in Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri. The team are looking to fill a vacant F1 seat and now has to face the embarrassment of paying McLaren’s and Piastri’s legal fees.
Also Read: Alpine spent $500,000 in legal bills to win Oscar Piastri’s services
Alpine ordered to Pay McLaren and Oscar Piastri
Alpine had made bold claims ahead of the CRB verdict. Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer had stated they will be taking legal action against Oscar Piastri to recoup the millions invested in developing him.
Piastri has been associated with Alpine Driver Academy since 2019. And Alpine had invested millions in the Aussie to develop him into a future F1 driver.
Alpine would have used these funds to pay the release clause and secure the services of Pierre Gasly from AlphaTauri. The Frenchman is Alpine’s target driver to fill their vacant F1 seat, creating an all-French team.
But the French team have been ordered by the CRB to pay the legal costs of all parties involved in the case. This includes close to $300,000 to McLaren and $120,000 to Piastri.
The French team will also foot the bill of CRB and arbitrators Ian Hunter QC, Stefano Azzali, Prof. Dr Klaus Peter Berger and Matthieu de Boisseson. Indeed an embarrassment for Alpine who were chasing millions from the settlement.
This could affect Alpine’s finances and their hunt for a driver. Gasly’s services won’t come for cheap and in an F1 season constricted by a tight budget cap, it could even affect the optimum working of their team.
Also Read: McLaren F1 to save fund from Daniel Ricciardo’s $16 Million Contract to secure Oscar Piastri
