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FIA finally breaks silence on Oscar Piastri contract saga, Daniel Ricciardo

The FIA ​​has finally broken its silence on the Oscar Piastri contract saga, confirming the ongoing dispute between McLaren and Alpine will be resolved without having to go to court.

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

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

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Alpine then announced Piastri would be the man to replace Alonso, only for the 21-year-old Melburnian to reject the seat — a bold move for someone who is yet to drive in F1.

Alpine believes that Piastri should respect the contract, but the Victorian believes the commitment is not valid.

The French team threatened 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,” Alpine team principal Otmar 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.”

McLaren Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown and Otmar Szafnauer. Photo by Andy Hone/Pool via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

On Friday, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem claimed the issue would be solved through their own means instead of in the courtroom.

“The FIA’s Driver Contract Recognition Board (CRB) was set up to deal with contract priority issues between drivers and F1 teams,” he tweeted.

“That’s why we rely on their decision to resolve any conflict.”

According to French publication Auto Hebdothe CRB has found that both Piastri’s Alpine and McLaren contracts are valid.

The CRB, a group made up of independent lawyers, was set up to determine the legality of driver contracts and settle disputes between teams.

The body was founded in 1991 after seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher signed for Benetton despite having agreed to discuss a contract with Jordan.

Oscar Piastri of Australia. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Szafnauer also hinted at a 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.”

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

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Sports

F1 news 2022: FIA finally breaks silence on Oscar Piastri contract saga, Daniel Ricciardo

The FIA ​​has finally broken its silence on the Oscar Piastri contract saga, confirming the ongoing dispute between McLaren and Alpine will be resolved without having to go to court.

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

The news erupted last week after two-time world champion 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 21-year-old Melburnian to reject the seat — a bold move for someone who is yet to drive in F1.

Alpine believes that Piastri should respect the contract, but the Victorian believes the commitment is not valid.

The French team threatened 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,” Alpine team principal Otmar 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.”

On Friday, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem claimed the issue would be solved through their own means instead of in the courtroom.

“The FIA’s Driver Contract Recognition Board (CRB) was set up to deal with contract priority issues between drivers and F1 teams,” he tweeted.

“That’s why we rely on their decision to resolve any conflict.”

According to French publication Auto Hebdothe CRB has found that both Piastri’s Alpine and McLaren contracts are valid.

The CRB, a group made up of independent lawyers, was set up to determine the legality of driver contracts and settle disputes between teams.

The body was founded in 1991 after seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher signed for Benetton despite having agreed to discuss a contract with Jordan.

Szafnauer also hinted at a 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.”

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

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Sports

Oscar Piastri contract, latest, news, Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer, Fernando Alonso leaves Alpine, McLaren, Flavio Briatore, Mark Webber

An infamous F1 villain has been called out over possible collusion in the ongoing Oscar Piastri contract saga at Alpine.

Piastri’s future is up in the air after Fernando Alonso declared he would be leaving Alpine for Aston Martin next season. Alpine quickly announced that their long-time junior prospect Piastri would replace Alonso for 2023 – only for Piastri to reject their statement about him in a public bombshell.

Alpine believe their contract with Piastri will force him to race for them next year, though the young Aussie has also signed a deal to replace Daniel Ricciardo McLaren next season.

F1’s Contract Recognition Board this week reportedly found both Piastri’s Alpine and McLaren contracts are valid, according to Auto Hebdo of France.

Alpine is now threatening to take Piastri and McLaren to court to seek compensation for their huge investment in Piastri’s years of training – and Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer’s bold claims didn’t stop there.

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‘Expected more loyalty… it’s about integrity’: Alpine boss shreds Piastri in brutal spray

Fernando Alonso (l) and Nelson Piquet Jr (r) with team boss Flavio Briatore (c) ahead of the 2008 F1 season… a year that would end in dramatic controversy.
Fernando Alonso (l) and Nelson Piquet Jr (r) with team boss Flavio Briatore (c) ahead of the 2008 F1 season… a year that would end in dramatic controversy.Source: News Limited

“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.”

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

Alpine’s big Piastri admission as Aussie rising star’s F1 standoff takes another twist: Pit Talk

Costly Dan snub won’t change team’s grim reality; giant tops ‘wildest dreams’: F1 report card

Daniel Ricciardo seeking eye-watering payout as ugly McLaren exit nears

Briatore is one of the most controversial figures in F1, due to his renegade management of the Enstone squad now known as Alpine, having spent years overseeing the team in its former guises as Benetton and Renault. He also managed Mark Webber at one point and remains close to his former charge from him, while he continues to manage Alonso.

“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.”

Mark Webber and his then-manager Flavio Briatore at the Australian GP in 2007.Source: News Corp Australia

Christian Danner, a German F1 driver from the late-1980s who is now a pundit in his native country, also declared Piastri’s actions bear Briatore’s trademark.

“It’s classic Flavio. There was certainly a (Alpine) contract for Piastri that Flavio has skimmed over … there was definitely a clause,” Danner told 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 (using Briatore) 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.”

Ricciardo set to be replaced by Piastri | 00:32

72-year-old Briatore’s Renault team was charged with race fixing in 2008 at the Singapore Grand Prix, after their driver Nelson Piquet Jr. claimed he had been ordered to deliberately crash his car. Teammate Fernando Alonso had just pitted, and the resulting safety car helped him go on to win the race.

Briatore and Renault engineering chief Pat Symonds were both indefinitely banned from all elite motorsport categories before a French court later overruled the ruling.

It wasn’t the only Briatore scandal, with his Benetton team in 1991 remarkably sacking driver Roberto Moreno in order to sign Michael Schumacher after his debut race.

Moreno successfully appealed to a court – which found his contract was valid – but was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to leave the team and allow Schumacher to join.

The young Schumacher would subsequently win his maiden title at the Benetton franchise.

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Sports

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.

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

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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Business

Probe finds Hino Motors falsified emissions data from at least 2003

A new report has revealed a major affiliate of Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp has falsified emissions data on some engines going back almost 20 years.

A company-commissioned probe showed Hino Motors, which manufactures trucks and buses sold around the globe, had reported false data for years on end.

The truck-maker said that an engine data falsification scandal had started as far back as 2003 and not in 2016 as previously admitted.

Representatives at Hino Motors Ltd said the scandal was brought on by an “environment where engineers did not feel able to challenge superiors”.

The announcement comes as a rare criticism of corporate culture in Japan.

The committee was set up by Hino earlier this year after it admitted to falsifying data related to emissions and fuel performance of four engines on its production line.

The findings, led by committee chairman Kazuo Sakakibara, claim employees were not offered “psychological safety” and were “unable to change” due to the company’s past successes.

“The magnitude of their past successes has made them unable to change or look at themselves objectively, and they have been unaware of changes in the external environment and values,” he told a briefing.

“The organization has become an ill-organized one where people are unable to say what they cannot do.”

Hino’s president Satoshi Ogiso, apologized to reporters, claiming the company’s management took its responsibilities and public image seriously.

Mr Ogiso said he received a message from Toyota president Akio Toyoda, who reeled at the scandal, accusing Hino of betrayed the trust of company stakeholders.

Hino has recalled nearly 47,000 vehicles made between April 2017 and March this year, confirming an additional 20,900 would be recalled in the near future.

Japan’s transportation ministry confirmed it would conduct an on-site investigation of the company.

Committee member Makoto Shimamoto said there were “no monitoring functions” on the units in question and admitted controls should have been in place to detect and report issues.

“Misconducts have been passed down within the unit, but there were no monitoring functions in other units, which is a major issue,” he said via Reuters. ”Even if there was no personnel movement within the organisation, these issues should have been found.”

Hino’s share price dropped nearly 10 per cent on Tuesday after the findings were made public.

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