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McLaren boss Zak Brown slammed for broken promise, Daniel Ricciardo contract saga

McLaren boss Zak Brown is copping backlash from his own network of reserve drivers as the Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri contract saga rages.

Australian F1 driver Ricciardo became embroiled in F1’s mid-year silly season following reports he will be replaced by young compatriot Piastri at McLaren in 2023.

The news erupted last week after Fernando Alonso blindsided the F1 world and jumped into Sebastian Vettel’s vacated seat at Aston Martin.

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McLaren boss Zak Brown. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Alpine then announced Piastri would be the man to replace Alonso, only for the Melburnian to reject the seat — a bold move for a man who is yet to drive in F1.

Now Ricciardo has asked for a $21 million payout from McLaren for the early termination of his contract, according to Speedcafe.com.

But as the drama unfolds, the fallout has extended all the way to the United States.

IndyCar drivers Pato O’Ward, Colton Herta and Alex Palou were each targeting the vacant Alpine seat, but the trio have seemingly been sidelined by Brown.

According to leading IndyCar driver O’Ward, Brown dangled the F1 carrot in front of the Americans before going all in on Piastri.

“It’s not good for me to have that illusion. It’s a dream that’s very far away, because although I’m racing at a very high level, it’s still not enough to convince them,” O’Ward told ESPN.

“There are many things that come into play that are beyond me.

“I found it laughable. I saw it and I laughed.

“The same prize has been put in front of many other drivers by Brown. In the end, there is only one seat and not five.”

Australian F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo. Photo by Francois Nel/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

If Piastri does indeed take his place at McLaren, Ricciardo’s most likely landing spot would be Alpine, the French team formerly known as Renault where he spent two seasons in 2019 and 2020.

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer slammed Piastri for his apparent betrayal in a blistering spray over the weekend.

“I expected more loyalty from Oscar than he is showing,” the Alpine team principal told Spanish publication The confidential.

“I started in 1989 in Formula 1 and I’ve never seen anything like this. And it’s not about Formula 1, it’s about integrity as a human being.

Oscar Piastri of Australia. Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

“It could happen in ice hockey or soccer, it doesn’t matter. But you don’t do that. He signed a piece of paper, a document, saying he would do something different.

“For me, the way I grew up, I don’t need to sign a piece of paper and then have someone say, ‘You’re lying, because you signed this.’ For me, if you say, ‘Hey, help me, I’ll help you tomorrow,’ there’s no way I would go back on my word. No way.”

“He should (drive with the) team that has taken care of him, that has taken him to the world championship and, above all, that during the last year has put him in a Formula 1 car so that he would be ready, so that he would know the circuits,” Szafnauer added.

“He should (drive with the) team that has taken care of him, that has taken him to the world championship and, above all, that during the last year has put him in a Formula 1 car so that he would be ready, so that he would know the circuits,” Szafnauer added.

“You did everything I asked you to do (from Alpine to Piastri) and now I promise you that if you do this, I will do this. I don’t need a piece of paper where it says, ‘With a clause, I can get out of here’.

“There should be some loyalty to the fact that we have invested literally millions and millions of euros to prepare him. So I don’t understand it either, you should ask him.”

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F1 news 2022: McLaren boss Zak Brown slammed for broken promise, Daniel Ricciardo contract saga

McLaren boss Zak Brown is copping backlash from his own network of reserve drivers as the Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri contract saga rages.

Australian F1 driver Ricciardo became embroiled in F1’s mid-year silly season following reports he will be replaced by young compatriot Piastri at McLaren in 2023.

The news erupted last week after Fernando Alonso blindsided the F1 world and jumped into Sebastian Vettel’s vacated seat at Aston Martin.

Watch Every Practice, Qualifying & Race of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship™ Live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Alpine then announced Piastri would be the man to replace Alonso, only for the Melburnian to reject the seat — a bold move for a man who is yet to drive in F1.

Now Ricciardo has asked for a $21 million payout from McLaren for the early termination of his contract, according to Speedcafe.com.

But as the drama unfolds, the fallout has extended all the way to the United States.

IndyCar drivers Pato O’Ward, Colton Herta and Alex Palou were each targeting the vacant Alpine seat, but the trio have seemingly been sidelined by Brown.

According to leading IndyCar driver O’Ward, Brown dangled the F1 carrot in front of the Americans before going all in on Piastri.

“It’s not good for me to have that illusion. It’s a dream that’s very far away, because although I’m racing at a very high level, it’s still not enough to convince them,” O’Ward told ESPN.

“There are many things that come into play that are beyond me.

“I found it laughable. I saw it and I laughed.

“The same prize has been put in front of many other drivers by Brown. In the end, there is only one seat and not five.”

If Piastri does indeed take his place at McLaren, Ricciardo’s most likely landing spot would be Alpine, the French team formerly known as Renault where he spent two seasons in 2019 and 2020.

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer slammed Piastri for his apparent betrayal in a blistering spray over the weekend.

“I expected more loyalty from Oscar than he is showing,” the Alpine team principal told Spanish publication The confidential.

“I started in 1989 in Formula 1 and I’ve never seen anything like this. And it’s not about Formula 1, it’s about integrity as a human being.

“It could happen in ice hockey or soccer, it doesn’t matter. But you don’t do that. He signed a piece of paper, a document, saying he would do something different.

“For me, the way I grew up, I don’t need to sign a piece of paper and then have someone say, ‘You’re lying, because you signed this.’ For me, if you say, ‘Hey, help me, I’ll help you tomorrow,’ there’s no way I would go back on my word. No way.”

“He should (drive with the) team that has taken care of him, that has taken him to the world championship and, above all, that during the last year has put him in a Formula 1 car so that he would be ready, so that he would know the circuits,” Szafnauer added.

“You did everything I asked you to do (from Alpine to Piastri) and now I promise you that if you do this, I will do this. I don’t need a piece of paper where it says, ‘With a clause, I can get out of here’.

“There should be some loyalty to the fact that we have invested literally millions and millions of euros to prepare him. So I don’t understand it either, you should ask him.”

Read related topics:Daniel Ricciardo

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Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer claims F1 conspiracy over Oscar Piastri McLaren move

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has said he “would not be surprised” if major F1 figures are sharing information behind closed doors as the Oscar Piastri fiasco continues to bubble away.

While the news of Piastri’s mooted move to McLaren to replace countryman Daniel Ricciardo has not been officially announced by the team, Szafnauer has spoken on the issue.

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The issue came to a head when two-time world champion Fernando Alonso sensationally revealed he was leaving Alpine for Aston Martin, leaving a free seat to which the French outfit announced Piastri would be taking.

It was also revealed Alonso did not tell Alpine bosses of his decision to defect before it was made public.

But Piastri threw a spanner in the works, revealed he would “not be driving for Alpine next year” via a social media statement.

It quickly snowballed into reports Piastri was signed with McLaren who were willing to pay out Ricciardo’s seat, which will cost the team a reported $21 million.

The one snag appears to be whether Piastri had a valid contract at Alpine.

French publication Auto Hebdo reported this week the F1’s Contract Recognition Board found both Piastri’s Alpine and McLaren contracts are valid.

It has left Alpine threatening to file a civil lawsuit to recover the millions of dollars in training it has spent on Piastri this season.

“Going to the High Court is over 90 per cent certain that’s what we’ll do,” Szafnauer told Reuters.

“If the CRB (Contract Recognition Board) says ‘Your license is only valid at Alpine’, and then he (Piastri) says ‘That’s great, but I’m never driving for them, I’ll just sit out a year’, then you’ve got to go to the High Court for compensation.”

But the Alpine boss has also hinted at potential collusion between Piastri’s manager Mark Webber, Alonso and his manager Flavio Briatore.

Webber and Alonso are close friends after their time in F1, while Briatore, who was a former team boss at Bennetton and Renault, has been Alonso’s long-term manager.

“Look, I have no record of it, but this is Formula 1 and maybe in a couple of years someone says that they have evidence of shared information, I would not be surprised,” Szafnauer said.

“I always tell everyone that in Formula 1 you have to act as if everyone knows everything. That there are no secrets in these things. When you ask someone not to say anything, they act like everyone knows.

“That’s how I’ve run my business in Formula 1 for 25 years. And if this (information sharing) has happened, you should not be surprised.”

The Piastri drama has been getting fairly heated as Alpine still want the Aussie in their car, but Szafnauer has questioned the youngster’s integrity.

Szafnauer may not be the only one who smells something fishy either.

Former F1 driver turned pundit Christian Danner said Piastri’s tactics “clearly has the handwriting” of Briatore.

Briatore was forced out of the sport in disgrace after the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, when Nelson Piquet Jr. alleged he had been ordered to deliberately crash to help Alonso, who was his teammate at the time. Alonso went on to win the race.

Briatore was banned from the sport indefinitely for a short time but it was overturned.

The 72-year-old continues to manage Alonso.

“It’s classic Flavio. There was certainly a contract for Piastri that Flavio has skimmed over … there was definitely a clause,” Danner told German publication Motorsport Magazine.

“When he believes in someone, he has the foresight to plan in a positive sense – and not just ruthlessly, which is logically the case in this business.

“I could imagine Piastri being able to free himself from Alpine’s grip, so that he can hopefully drive for McLaren for the next two years and then be free for a big deal. That definitely has Briatore’s signature.

“It can all go wrong, of course, but if it works out, then he (Briatore) has done everything right.”

It seems all the twists and turns are a long way from over in this drama.

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Daniel Ricciardo seeking $21 million payout for McLaren sacking, Oscar Piastri, Alpine, 2023 grid, latest, updates

Daniel Ricciardo is reportedly seeking a whopping eight-figure payout to walk away from his contract with McLaren.

The 33-year-old veteran has become embroiled in F1’s mid-year silly season following reports he is being replaced by fellow Australian Oscar Piastri at McLaren in 2023.

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The news erupted last week after Fernando Alonso blindsided the F1 world when he jumped into Sebastian Vettel’s vacated seat at Aston Martin for 2023.

Alpine then announced Piastri would be the man to replace Alonso, only for the Melburnian to reject the seat — a bold move for a man who is yet to drive in F1.

Now Ricciardo has asked for a $21 million payout from McLaren for the early termination of his contract, according to Speedcafe.com.

Ricciardo is said to be the only party who can break his contract with the team, which expires at the end of 2023.

The report also states that should Ricciardo secure a drive at another team next season, any salary he receives would see the same value refunded to McLaren.

A payout would clear the way for McLaren to sign Piastri and for Ricciardo to continue his F1 career elsewhere on the grid.

Alpine reportedly did not have a valid long-term F1 contract with its reserve driver Piastri, which has allowed McLaren’s deal with the 21-year-old to be ticked off by the Contract Recognition Board.

Daniel Ricciardo could be set for a mega payout from McLaren. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

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Ricciardo has remained tight-lipped and doesn’t appear bothered by the ongoing saga.

He is clearly enjoying his mid-season break and this week posted a photo of himself smiling in a swimming pool.

If Piastri does indeed take his place at McLaren, Ricciardo’s most likely landing spot would be Alpine, the French team formerly known as Renault where he spent two seasons in 2019 and 2020.

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer slammed Piastri in a blistering spray over the weekend.

“I expected more loyalty from Oscar than he is showing,” the Alpine team principal told Spanish publication The confidential.

“I started in 1989 in Formula 1 and I’ve never seen anything like this. And it’s not about Formula 1, it’s about integrity as a human being.

“It could happen in ice hockey or soccer, it doesn’t matter. But you don’t do that. He signed a piece of paper, a document, saying he would do something different.

“For me, the way I grew up, I don’t need to sign a piece of paper and then have someone say, ‘You’re lying, because you signed this.’ For me, if you say, ‘Hey, help me, I’ll help you tomorrow,’ there’s no way I would go back on my word. No way.”

Alpine isn’t happy with Oscar Piastri. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

“He should (drive with the) team that has taken care of him, that has taken him to the world championship and, above all, that during the last year has put him in a Formula 1 car so that he would be ready, so that he would know the circuits,” Szafnauer added.

“You did everything I asked you to do (from Alpine to Piastri) and now I promise you that if you do this, I will do this. I don’t need a piece of paper where it says, ‘With a clause, I can get out of here’.

“There should be some loyalty to the fact that we have invested literally millions and millions of euros to prepare him. So I don’t understand it either, you should ask him.”

Despite appearing to botch his contract, Szafnauer said Alpine will play hardball in a bid to hold on to Piastri.

“We have a contract with Piastri, which he signed in November, we have spoken to our lawyers and they have told us that this is a binding contract, so part of that contract allows us to put Oscar in one of our cars in 2023, which is the reason we issued the press release,” he said.

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Daniel Ricciardo return to Renault, Otmar Szafnauer, 2023 contracts

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has left the door open for a Daniel Ricciardo to return with uncertainty surrounding his future, and that of Oscar Piastri.

Having lost Fernando Alonso to Aston Martin for 2023, Alpine announced that Australia’s Piastri would take the Spaniard’s spot next year.

But in a major bombshell to shake the F1 paddock, Piastri denied on social media that a deal had been made, and emphatically declared: “I will not be driving for Alpine next year.”

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That has sent the rumor mill into overdrive about whether Piastri has a deal secured elsewhere already — possibly at McLaren to replace the struggling Daniel Ricciardo.

Ricciardo has a third year to run on his McLaren contract but has been under pressure, while Piastri’s manager, Mark Webber, is understood to have aggressively lobbied the team to snap up Piastri prior to Alonso’s shock departure.

Should a McLaren move materialize for Piastri, it would leave Ricciardo without a seat for 2023.

One option for Ricciardo could be an awkward return to Alpine (formerly Renault), who was disappointed in 2020 by quitting after just two seasons.

Nonetheless, the team has since undergone a change of management, while Szafnauer sees no reason why Ricciardo can’t be a potential option.

Szafnauer confirmed to motorsport.com.au that the team has already fielded numerous calls from other drivers.

READ MORE

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Alonso OUT Piastri IN? Aussie’s big move | 05:37

Asked about the possibility of Ricciardo returning, he pointed to the example of Alonso, whose F1 career has included two stints at McLaren, and three at Alpine-Renault.

“I mean, if you look at Fernando, for example, he comes and goes, and I think that happens to other drivers too,” he told the publication.

“And I don’t think that’s an issue at all. I think what we need to focus on is, like I say, the plans that we have for the next 89-88 races.

“We’ve got to make sure that we complement that plan with the best driver that we can, and there are some options out there for us. And we put the best driver in next to Esteban [Ocon]so that we can move forward towards what we’ve been planning.”

Nonetheless, Alpine hopes to hold onto Piastri, saying: “We believe we are legally correct in our statement (about his signing).”

Szafnauer told the publication — albeit before Piastri’s statement — that there is no reason a healthy working partnership can’t be maintained with the Australian should the team get its wish.

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