At 21, Oscar Piastri is already making a lot of noise in F1 without ever having completed a single race in the premier category. A twist this week on Twitter, the young Australian reacted to a press release from Alpine citing him as the replacement for Fernando Alonso, leaving for Aston Martin in 2023.
Problem, the reigning F2 champion denied any agreement and above all affirmed that he would not drive for Alpine in 2023! Error of youth or agreement already found elsewhere? The soap opera has not finished debating.
“I will not drive for Alpine next year”
Which driver would refuse any seat in F1 to be part of the very elite list of the 20 best drivers in the world to drive in the premier category of sport. A man dared to do it, and yet he has a promising future in the discipline.
Oscar Piastri has just put a monumental wind in the team that employs him as a reserve driver, Alpine F1. While all the media and enthusiasts want to see this talented young driver, F2 and F3 champion in two years, land in F1 as soon as possible, the latter may have just shot himself in the foot with these statements.
On Monday, Fernando Alonso announces his departure from the tricolor team to join Aston Martin in 2023, currently 9th in the constructors’ standings. Without an announcement from Alpine, everything finally seemed to say that the young Piastri was finally going to have his chance and have the seat of the Spaniard next year. It will not be, the Australian said the next day, Tuesday August 2: “I see that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 published a press release at the end of the afternoon indicating that I will drive for them next year. This is false and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not ride for Alpine next year. »
A real thunderbolt for the French team, which even goes so far as to reason throughout the paddock, as this announcement necessarily hides another behind…
Alpine justifies itself, McLaren enters the dance
A few hours after Piastri’s announcement, Alpine reacted to these remarks and it was the team’s director, Otmar Szafnauer, who took charge of it: “He has contractual obligations towards us. And we have it for him. We have honored these obligations throughout the year. And these obligations extend until 2023, and possibly in 2024 if certain options are activated. (…) We therefore have a legal contract with him for 2023. And if an option is activated, [il vaut aussi] for 2024. So I don’t know what he did with McLaren. Like I said, I’m not aware. »
The Alpine director still believes in it for Piastri, even if the latter probably has another idea behind his head, and when you look at it more closely, you can’t really blame him…
For several weeks, Renault and Williams have been discussing an agreement for a possible engine in 2023, due to Mercedes’ desire to part with one of the three engine contracts it currently has (Aston Martin, McLaren and Williams ). The hallway noises then evoked a kind of negotiation with a certain Oscar Piastri in the deal, a member of the Alpine family.
But with his struggles since the hybrid era, Williams doesn’t seem to appeal to the young Australian, who would rather prefer McLaren. The Alpine reserve driver would therefore have started discussions with McLaren in recent weeks, which would explain his exit on social networks.
If many will speak of a “capricious kid”, in reality the latter has simply taken the lead and sought a seat in F1 which he has been waiting for two years now. Already blown on the wire last year by Guanyu Zhou on the side of Alfa Romeo, this coveted bucket pushes Piastri to make choices.
Taken aback by Alonso’s announcement, Alpine for its part needed this trigger to “offer” the place to Piastri, while the team wanted above all to extend the Spaniard for at least one more year. . Not wanting to be a second option, the Australian therefore remained straight and honest, not wanting to play on several fronts at the same time.
McLaren then seems to be in a strong position to attract the young talent next year, which would therefore push Daniel Ricciardo towards the exit…. Also Australian, the former Red Bull driver must learn at the same time as us that his place in F1 is increasingly compromised for 2023.
If the hypothesis is confirmed, Alpine must still find the future replacement for Fernando Alonso. What would be the solutions? An arrival of Pierre Gasly? Unlikely. The Normand is still linked to the Red Bull family which does not want to let go but which deprives him of results. In addition, his relationship with Esteban Ocon is very complicated. Sometimes at the limit of what is acceptable on the track with his teammate, as we saw in Hungary where the Alpine driver voluntarily blocked Alonso, this duo would run a strong risk of upsetting Alpine’s long-term ambitions. However, a 100% French duo would make you dream.
Another solution, a return of Daniel Ricciardo, who left the French team two years ago, still under the Renault flag, the Australian remains a credible solution, even if he is sorely lacking in performance since his arrival at McLaren. But let’s not forget that during his time with Renault, the latter had nevertheless scored 3 podiums in two seasons, with a car far from being able to play for the first three places.
The summer break is likely to be rough for Alpine, which should make new announcements in the coming days. Be careful not to stray too far and lose track of a season where 4th place for the constructors is clearly within reach of the Team…
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