Otmar Szafnauer took a dig at Oscar Piastri, accusing him of not honoring the contract he signed with Alpine last November.
Earlier this month, four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel announced that he would retire from F1 at the end of the season. Current Alpine driver Fernando Alonso did not waste a lot of time in revealing that he would replace Vettel at Aston Martin.
This news came as a shock to F1 fans. They all thought the 41-year-old would finish his career at Alpine. For the team, however, a series of embarrassing events followed when they announced Oscar Piastri as Alonso’s replacement.
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
The 2021 F2 Champion was part of the Alpine junior team for four years. It seemed like an obvious move on paper. Piastri on the other hand denied that he signed any deal with Alpine, and let fans know that he won’t be racing for them in 2023.
Piastri’s revelation led to the emergence of strong rumors linking him to McLaren. They will have a seat empty at the end of this campaign as the Woking-based outfit have axed Daniel Ricciardo.
Otmar Szafnauer counts on Oscar Piastri to be more loyal to Alpine
Plenty of fans believed Piastri to be a sure-shot presence in the 2022 grid. However, the fact that Alonso remained on the team meant that Piastri had to spend the year on the sidelines. Alpine, meanwhile, wanted Piastri in F1 but asked him to wait until Alonso’s departure.
According to Szafnauer, this was what the two parties agreed on when Piastri signed as reserve driver. Now that the 21-year-old driver is looking to join McLaren, Szafnauer called for him to honor his initial contract.
“I just wish Oscar would have remembered what he signed in November and what he signed up to” 💬
Otmar Szafnauer lifts the lid on the situation between Alpine and Oscar Piastri as well as speaking on the possible return of Daniel Ricciardo. pic.twitter.com/NADm2DFltQ
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 26, 2022
Ahead of the Belgian GP this weekend, a lot of focus was put on what Szafnauer had to say about Piastri’s future. The 58-year-old, however, did not reveal anything concrete. He admitted that the Melbourne-born driver’s future will be sorted out by the coming week.
“I just wish Oscar would have remembered what he signed in November and what he signed up to,” Szafnauer said to Sky Sports.
