Oscar Piastri Explains How He Dodged the Alpine Controversy While He Was a Rookie

Even before Oscar Piastri made his Formula 1 debut, he was in the headlines. After grabbing hold of the elusive F2 title with the Alpine driver academy, many thought that the logical next step would be to make his debut in F1 with Alpine. The French-team thought the same, too, and announced him as their driver for the 2023 season. But in a shocking turn of events that caused a huge controversy, Piastri publicly denounced the announcement on Twitter and revealed he was joining McLaren instead.

He obviously got a lot of bad rep due to this. And naturally, the pressure was high for the Aussie to make an impact in his rookie season, with many building him up for failure. But he followed a mantra to keep his head level and swim through this Alpine controversy. He told Autosport.com,

“I kind of just try and let my driving do the talking.”

The cutthroat F1 paddock did come as a surprise to Piastri. However, he quickly maneuvered his way past the politics and incessant media spotlight. Letting himself express himself on track and being strategically coy in front of the media let him cope with the expectations of his rookie season in the sport.

I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.

— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) August 2, 2022

One big aspect of this is how self-critical he can be. By his own admission, he is his own harshest critic. However, he believes in doing it behind closed doors rather than “destroying yourself in front of the media.” But these life lessons aren’t born out of thin air for Piastri. His manager, and ex-F1 legend, Mark Webber has played an instrumental role in making Piastri’s 2023 season a success.

How Mark Webber’s F1 experiences paved a smoother way for Oscar Piastri

Mark Webber himself found himself in heated moments during his time in F1. The experiences he gained is what makes Piastri glad to have a mentor in his form. The young Australian emphasizes the impact of Webber’s words of wisdom in shaping a memorable personal and professional year for him in the sport.

“His hindsight is my foresight in some ways,” explained Piastri. Be it some pre-quali or race tips or the pressure of going up against a seasoned contender in the form of Lando Norris, Webber’s own experiences in F1 have helped Piastri have a ready-reckoner in terms of an advice-book.

| oscar piastri with mark webber after the sprint race!

love the aussies

| motorsport.images pic.twitter.com/skAhM0dMQ1

— Piastri Updates (@PiastriNews) October 7, 2023

A testament to this being how Webber himself handled the entire Alpine controversy. Never uttering a speculative or sensational word, Webber calmly guided his protégé through the mess to emerge triumphant with McLaren last year.