Oscar Piastri never held an F1 contract with Alpine, and is therefore free to drive for McLaren in 2023, RacingNews365.com can reveal.
With Fernando Alonso’s 2023 move from Alpine to Aston Martin announced on 30 July, Alpine moved swiftly to promote current reserve driver Piastri to a race seat next year.
However, just two hours after Alpine’s statement confirming Piastri – which did not include any quotes from Piastri himself – the Australian released a statement of his own saying that he would not be driving for Alpine in 2023.
RacingNews365.com revealed last week that Piastri had instead agreed to a deal to race for McLaren in 2023 in place of the underperforming Daniel Ricciardo.
Now, well-placed sources at Alpine have told RacingNews365.comthat Piastri never held a Formula 1 contract with the team.
More on Alpine and McLaren’s tug-of-war over Piastri
Piastri had signed a contract with Alpine in November 2021, which contained a clause outlining the team’s obligations towards Piastri.
These obligations included giving Piastri a certain number of test kilometers in an F1 car, which RacingNews365.com understands is in excess of 3,500km, along with paying his expenses and making him Alpine’s reserve driver in 2022.
If Alpine fulfilled these obligations, an option existed for the team to place Piastri in a race seat for 2023.
Crucially, however, this contract was between Piastri and Alpine’s Driver Academy, rather than the F1 team.
This meant the contract was never registered with Formula 1’s Contract Recognition Board, as it was not a F1 contract.
Accordingly, when McLaren lodged their contract with Piastri with the CRB after signing the Australian, neither Alpine nor McLaren received any notification from the CRB of any conflict.
Though McLaren currently have Lando Norris and Ricciardo under contract for next year, RacingNews365.com has learned that McLaren intends to release Ricciardo from his deal.
Negotiations currently ongoing as to the terms of such a split, but RacingNews365.com understands that Ricciardo’s camp are looking for financial compensation in the region of $21 million.
This means the only options available to Alpine are to pursue the matter in a civil court. With Alpine’s parent company Renault Groupe registered in France, and the Alpine F1 team headquartered in England, it is unclear which jurisdiction would hold sway.
Should Alpine decide to pursue the matter in a civil court, it is understood that the team would chiefly be seeking financial compensation for losing Piastri, rather than a ruling obliging the Australian to drive for Alpine in 2023.
Don’t worry about Daniel Ricciardo, he’s going to be fine.
The Aussie F1 veteran became the story of the F1 mid-year break when it was reported he was being moved on for his 21-year-old countryman Oscar Piastri.
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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’s never driven an F1 car in anger.
But the news leaked over the weekend that it was Ricciardo’s seat Piastri was set to take, while McLaren were set to cut the eight-time race winner loose for the prodigious youngster — a move which would reportedly cost McLaren $21m in a payout for Ricciardo .
It leaves Ricciardo’s career at a crossroads after two largely miserable seasons in papaya, outside of the 2021 win at Monza.
Ricciardo had been regularly beaten by teammate Lando Norris and struggled to get his head around the car.
The 32-year-old left Renault for McLaren, but could return to the Enstone unit now branded Alpine, who are open to the move.
Alpine still believes it has an iron-clad deal with Piastri and are still planning for the young Aussie to take the seat, despite reports the FIA’s Contract Recognition Board had cleared Piastri’s move.
Although Alfa Romeo rookie and former Renault Academy driver Guanyu Zhou said he was glad he wasn’t “stuck” at Alpine, team boss Otmar Szafnauer believes his team is well placed to attack the top teams.
Speaking regarding Alonso’s decision, Szafnauer, the former Aston Martin boss, said: “I know both teams well,” he said. “I think I know (them), because I spent 12 years at the other team, better than I know all the individuals here just yet.
“And I know since I’ve left in December, they’ve hired some more people, some of which I was a part of recruiting, including Dan Fallows, and Eric Blandin from Mercedes. So I know what they’re trying to do.
“And I know that the people that are there, and I know this team here, and both teams have great potential.
“But as we sit here today, this team is performing at a much higher level. It’s hard to predict the future, but in the near future, for sure this team will continue to perform at that level, if not better.”
Alpine is currently fourth in the constructors’ standings on 99 points, behind only Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, and four points in front of McLaren. Aston Martin is ninth on 20 points.
Szafnauer also said Alpine weren’t done coming fourth.
“We have an internal program called Mountain Climber, and that’s to hire an additional 75 people in strategic areas that will help improve the capabilities of this team,” he said.
“And along with the 75 people, there’s also tools that we are improving now, some simulation tools, a new simulator, expanded capacity in manufacturing, some upgrades to our wind tunnel, all with the focus on being able to win in 100 races.
“So those things are still happening here. And they’re happening fast. We’re already at a level of 850 people here.
“So I am confident that we can outdo the team that Fernando is going to, in the time period that he will be there.”
Ricciardo scored 119 points in Renault in 2020, the best by a driver since the manufacturer’s return to the sport in 2016.
There’s no doubt he would be a strong option for Alpine.
However, in an interview with The confidentialSzafnauer said he would narrow the shortlist to four drivers, revealing he had fielded “like 14 calls from drivers who are interested”.
ESPN’s Nate Saunders also said Ricciardo would “still command the attention of teams up and down the grid” adding he is “one of the most marketable drivers on the grid at the moment and one who is especially popular in America”.
He added four teams had contacted him in the past fortnight prior to the news McLaren were moving to ax the Western Australian.
The Expresseven suggested a pay out from McLaren to Ricciardo and a forced season on the sideline could open up Mercedes.
Ricciardo has long coveted a seat with Ferrari or Mercedes and said the Silver Arrows had “always had an eye” on Ricciardo.
The 37-year-old seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton has long been linked with retirement.
In 2019 when Ricciardo joined Renault, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he had caught their eye but didn’t end up pulling the trigger.
“We always had an eye on Daniel… we really like him in here,” Wolff said at the time. “It’s just the mentality in Mercedes – I sometimes feel if you’re happy in your relationship it is not always easy (to change).
“It is like being married, you need to be 100 per cent behind it. It was not a lack of interest, it was just that we were in a happy relationship and there was no need to flirt with another woman at that stage.”
Is it likely? Not at this stage, but stranger things have happened.
Before analyzing how Alpine found itself in this state, allow me to stress that the information learned by RacingNews365.com concerning Piastri’s move to McLaren was derived not from a single source, but three different parties – on two continents, in three countries – all with knowledge of the information. Crucially, all provided essentially the same details.
However, we have omitted items such as timelines for fear that these could jeopardize certain insiders in England and Australia. All I will say in this regard is: there is considerable dissent in the team’s ranks, with some choice language peppering the details. Saliently, all pointed to a two-plus one-year deal.
Three burning questions surround the loss of not one but two star drivers within a space of 24 hours – both to lower ranking teams: Why did Alpine not urgently secure its offer to Fernando Alonso once it knew Sebastian Vettel’s seat was vacant?
Forget not that Alonso is a driver who (twice) previously left Team Enstone under a cloud; a driver at the heart of every major F1 scandal this millennium; a driver who repeatedly left chaos in his wake from him; a driver managed by Flavio Briatore, whose reputation precedes him after he quit his role as boss of the same team in the wake of cheating allegations – yet Alpine went about re-signing him with an air of utter casualness.
Then: That McLaren was talking to Piastri was an open paddock secret; that he is advised by Mark Webber – who won Le Mans with a Porsche team overseen by current McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl, and learned the tricks of driver management from Briatore – equally so. Yet neither alarms nor even muted bells appear to have pealed in Enstone or Viry-Châtillon, Alpine’s Parisian base. Talk about sleepwalking…
Finally: what on earth possessed Alpine to issue a media release announcing an alleged driver contract without a single quote from the subject? Not a word; not only was that a sure giveaway that Alpine had lost control over its third driver, but smacked of egoistic desperation to salvage management ‘face’.
Alpine’s hubris coming back to bite the team?
Our information has it that McLaren’s contract with Piastri was signed last Saturday during the Hungarian Grand Prix, ahead of a mooted (by others) deadline of July 31, 2022, then immediately lodged with the CRB, which accepted the agreement as is standard procedure unless conflicts exist. Our sources are adamant that no 2023 Alpine-Piastri contract was in place, only a vague (and expired) option clause in his 2022 deal.
Significantly, Alpine was not informed of said acceptance, simply because there were no conflicts. Australian sources are equally adamant that Daniel Ricciardo has been informed of his de-hiring of him, and that a soft landing is being sought for him.
The bottom line is that hubris about what was smugly (and variously) referred to as a “rich man’s problem” or “nice problem to have” has come back to bite the team, leaving a proud French brand – celebrating the 50th anniversary of its halo A110 model’s world rally championship successes in 2023 – with a choice of Mick Schumacher or Ricciardo. Last-named shunned the team two years ago and serially underperformed since.
From media briefings with carefully selected outlets through vague off-record comments by junior press officers when gravitas was urgently required, to stone-deafness after Piastri’s (pointed) social media statements, and clumsy pointers from team management that Alonso was not contactable – leading the Spaniard to post mocking messages – Alpine has (mis?)managed this entire saga in amateurish fashion.
When approached by RacingNews365.comin the wake of Piastri’s tweet, a team spokesperson stated Alpine was confident about its position and offered no further comment.
Alpine reserve driver Oscar Piastri has agreed a deal to race for McLaren in 2023 in place of Daniel Ricciardo, RacingNews365.com you have learned.
The Australian’s future has been the subject of much debate this week, with Alpine releasing a statement on Tuesday saying Piastri would replace the Aston Martin-bound Fernando Alonso at the French squad next year.
However, in a remarkable turn of events, the 21-year-old released a statement of his own just two hours later refuting the claims that he would be racing for the Enstone team in 2023.
Piastri was known to be admired by other teams, having previously been linked with a loan move to Williams, and RacingNews365.com has learned from sources in Australia that Piastri has signed a contract at McLaren that would see him partner Lando Norris and replace compatriot Riccardo at the Woking squad in 2023.
FIA’s contract recognition board, where all F1 contracts are checked for validity, is said to have validated Piastri’s new contract with McLaren at the expense of his existing deal with Alpine.
RacingNews365.com understands that Piastri has a contract with Alpine for 2022, but not for 2023. His 2022 deal is said to contain an option on Piastri’s services for 2023, but that option was not exercised within the required 30 days of signing that contract.
What now for Ricciardo?
The FIA’s contract recognition board ruled that there was no valid contract between Alpine and Piastri before 2023, leaving McLaren free to agree to a deal with the Australian.
Piastri’s deal with McLaren was said to have been finalized on the evening of July 30, before Fernando Alonso’s move to Aston Martin was confirmed on August 1.
Under Formula 1’s regulations, Alpine cannot challenge the board’s decision, as F1 teams have previously unanimously decided that it is the highest body that can rule on contractual matters.
Piastri’s move leaves Ricciardo’s F1 future up in the air. The Australian’s best bet may be replacing Alonso at Alpine, for whom he drove in 2019 and 2020 in his previous guise of Renault.
World champion Max Verstappen fully exploited another Ferrari flop to pull 80 points clear of Charles Leclerc in this year’s title race with an emphatic Red Bull triumph in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Just a week after his crushing win at the French Grand Prix, where Leclerc crashed out of the lead, the 24-year-old Dutchman scored his first win at the Hungaroring, his eighth this year and the 28th of his career.
Starting from 10th on the grid, after engine problems in qualifying on Saturday required a new power unit, he sliced through the field to finish 7.8 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who had started from his maiden pole position.
That was despite a 360 degree spin on lap 40 from which he managed to recover from.
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‘LET’S F***ING GO!’ Ricciardo nails insane double overtake before penalty drama strikes
“When we woke up this morning who would have thought we would win this race?” said the Dutchman.
With Russell on pole and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Leclerc second and third on the grid, pre-race forecasts made the Italian team favorites to control and win with some ease as the Red Bulls were 10th and 11th.
But a combination of poor tire management, slow pit-stops and questionable strategy saw them finish fifth and sixth, behind Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull, who started 11th, after looking likely winners.
“I was hoping I could get close to a podium, but it was very tricky out there,” said Verstappen.
Max Verstappen is running away with the championship.Source: AFP
“But we had a really good strategy, we were really reactive, always pitting at the right time.” Hamilton, who started seventh was seeking to increase his record haul of eight Hungarian wins, registered his fifth consecutive podium and a successive second position.
“I was definitely struggling at the beginning, but bit by bit I got more comfortable with the balance,” he said.
“I had a really good start so I want to acknowledge my team. We’ve had a tough year and for both cars to be on the podium is an amazing way to go into the summer break.
“The other guys have an edge, but we are clearly closing the gap. Hopefully, we can bring some more into the second half of the season and start fighting with them.”
It was an up-and-down race for Daniel Ricciardo who executed a stunning double overtake on both Alpines and yelled “let’s f***ing go”, but had his race ruined after an incident with Lance Stroll.
Ricciardo made contact with the Aston Martin and was handed a five-second penalty for causing the collision. He also struggled with the harder tire and continued to slip down the field, eventually finishing in a lowly 15th position.
His teammate Lando Norris finished seventh.
– ‘I was confused’ –
Russell, who led for 30 laps, said he had a strong first stint, but that he struggled on the medium compound tires and lost temperature in the closing laps.
“But it’s been an amazing job by the team to have pole position and a double podium – we are definitely making progress. I am really proud of the work everyone has done.”
Both Sainz and Leclerc were disappointed by their results.
“I felt very strong and very comfortable on the mediums,” said Leclerc who led the race and looked likely to win before a pit-stop to switch unexpectedly to hard tyres.
“I wanted to stay out and I don’t know why I was called in. I was confused by that.
“I lost the race on the hard tires and I don’t know why. We need to speak about this inside the team.”
He added: “Honestly, the pace on my side, I was pretty happy, the only thing is that everybody will remember the last part of the race where it was a disaster for me, especially the hard – that’s why I lost the race basically .”
Sainz said he felt he was slower than expected.
“It is what it is,” he said. “We struggled as a team and in the lower temperatures the track changed and the car and the tires did not perform.
“We need to analyze this to see what we did wrong and, after the summer break, come back with a better package. We have to speak about it inside the team to get to do this better.” Ferrari team chief Mattia Binotto defended the team’s decisions.
“We didn’t have the performance we expected and the car was not performing well in the cooler conditions,” he said. “It’s the first time this season.
“We did not have the edge today. We believed we could do it, but it did not work out as we were expecting. Sometimes, we can make mistakes, but I fully support the team.”
HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULTS
1. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull) 1hr 39min 35.912sec
2. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) at 7.834sec
3. George Russell (GBR/Mercedes) 12,337
4. Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari) 14,579
5. Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull) 15,688
6. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) 16,047
7. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) 1:18.300
8. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Alpine-Renault) 1 lap
9. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine-Renault) 1 lap
10. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1 lap
11. Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1 lap
12. Pierre Gasly (FRA/AlphaTauri-Red Bull) 1 lap
13. Zhou Guanyu (CHN/Alfa Romeo) 1 lap
14. Mick Schumacher (GER/Haas-Ferrari) 1 lap
15. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/McLaren-Mercedes) 1 lap
16. Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas-Ferrari) 1 lap
17. Alexander Albon (THA/Williams-Mercedes) 1 lap
18. Nicholas Latifi (CAN/Williams-Mercedes) 1 lap
19. Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/AlphaTauri-Red Bull) 2 laps
20. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Alfa Romeo) 5 laps
Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:21.386 on 57th lap (average speed: 260.580 km/h)
Daniel Ricciardo has missed out on a points finish after being penalized for causing a collision during Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Key points:
Daniel Ricciardo finished 13th in Hungary
Max Verstappen won after starting 10th on the grid
A poor tire strategy cost Ferrari a chance at victory
Max Verstappen climbed from 10th to take another victory and extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship after Ferrari again threw away another potential victory.
Ricciardo was driving well and comfortably challenging in the top 10 around the Hungaroring in Budapest.
But the Australian’s day came unstuck when his brand new hard tires locked up just a few corners after exiting the pits and led to him running into the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll.
Stroll was attempting to pass the Australian before the collision, which sent the Aston Martin driver spinning.
Ricciardo was given a five-second penalty which took him out of contention for a top 10 finish.
Ricciardo had provided one of the highlights of the race on lap 24 with a double-overtake of the Alpine drivers Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon.
Ricciardo was chasing Alonso down the main straight when Ocon came out of the pits trying to stay ahead in 10th.
The Alpine drivers got in each other’s way, allowing Ricciardo to showcase his skills by passing both of them on consecutive corners.
Ferrari blunder again
Poor tire strategy has cost Charles Leclerc a chance at winning in Budapest.(Pool via Reuters: Attila Kisbenedek)
Ferrari’s hopes of winning either the Drivers’ or Constructors’ Championships in 2022 have taken a massive blow after Max Verstappen took the checkered flag.
Heading into Sunday’s race Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said his team needed a first and second place finish at a track where they were favourites.
But Ferrari’s tire strategy robbed Charles Leclerc of a chance of victory and he finished sixth.
Leclerc was leading at half-distance and was the fastest on track, but was forced to go onto the hard compound tire during his second stop after starting on the mediums.
The hard tire was the worst performing on Sunday, with many drivers including Ricciardo struggling on it.
Max Verstappen has extended his lead in the drivers’ championship.(Reuters: Lisa Leutner)
Meanwhile, Verstappen was able to storm home on the medium tire but had his own drama when he spun on a slippery part of the surface.
“I was hoping I could get close to a podium [finish],” he said.
“We had a really good strategy, we were really reactive, always pitting at the right times.”
Verstappen now holds an 80-point lead over Leclerc in the Drivers’ Championship.
Post race Leclerc said he wanted to stay out on his medium tires and pit later for a set of the faster soft compounds.
“We need to speak with the team and understand the thought behind putting on the hard [tyre],” he said.
