Two-time F1 world champion Mika Häkkinen has recently given his take on the Oscar Piastri contract saga that created immense controversy last season.
Alpine had put out a statement that Piastri would race for them in the 2023 season, only for the 21-year-old to deny that such an agreement had been reached.
The Australian would eventually join McLaren, much to the frustration of Alpine. The two teams would then also engage in a legal battle which the French team would end up losing.
‘No room for feelings’: Häkkinen gives take on Piastri’s contract saga
Mika Häkkinen put up a video on Twitter to explain why he believes there’s ‘no room for feelings’ in F1. “People wait for contracts. Contracts are what matter. There’s no room for feelings,” he explained.
Häkkinen then went on to add that he’s looking forward to the relationship Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris develop at McLaren. The former Finnish driver said that he believes Piastri and Norris will be ‘good sparring partners’.
The 54-year-old concluded his remarks by explaining how he believes McLaren team principal Zak Brown will get the best out of Piastri.
Piastri is likely to have a lot of pressure on his shoulders as many experts from the F1 fraternity have referred to him as the next ‘big thing’.
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Why did Oscar Piastri’s contract saga create controversy?
Episode six of Netflix’s Drive to Survive (DTS) season 5, ‘Nice Guys Finish Last,’ explain why Oscar Piastri’s contract saga created immense controversy.
The Australian had spent the entire 2021 season with Alpine as a reserve driver. During this time, the French outfit had put a lot of resources and effort to develop the 21-year-old as a driver.
After Fernando Alonso announced that he would leave Alpine at the end of 2021, the French team thought that this was the perfect time for them to give the 21-year-old a contract with the side.
As a result, they took to their social media account and announced that Piastri would drive for them in the 2023 season. However, to everyone’s surprise, the 21-year-old denied having any such conversations with the team.
And a few days later, he was unveiled as McLaren’s second driver. This news caused immense frustration within the Alpine team, who felt betrayed.
During episode 6 of DTS, Alpine’s team principal Otmar Szafnauer explained how he could not believe how disloyal Piastri was after everything his side had done for him.
Because of the way Piastri exited the team and joined a direct rival, the Alpine and McLaren boss would engage in a war of words. Towards the end of episode six, Szafnauer would threaten McLaren team principal Zak Brown with legal action.
Szafnauer warned Brown that since Alpine had put in several resources and efforts to develop Piastri into an F1 driver, the 21-year-old and McLaren would need to pay the French team a staggering $5 million as compensation. Alpine would eventually go on to lose the case.
