One of the most controversial things to happen this season was the public spat between Alpine Racing and McLaren. The two constructors fought over Oscar Piastri after the Australian denied he’d be racing for Alpine and instead signed for McLaren. The two teams went to F1’s Contract Recognition Board, which sided with McLaren. Alpine CEO has now opened up about the entire fiasco.
Oscar Piastri is one of the brightest prospects in the F1 world currently. The Australian will replace his compatriot Daniel Ricciardo next season and partner Lando Norris. McLaren has had a disappointing season so far and they’ll be hoping for the season to end quickly.
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On the other hand, Alpine is taking long strides in the right direction. They are enjoying a fantastic season so far standing P4 in the constructors’ table. However, Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi has claimed Oscar Piastri was given “full access” to Alpine’s 2023 plans. Something which might threaten Alpine’s progress.
Rossi said, “We gave him everything, we had him do something like 3,500 laps this year. He was the F1 driver who did the most kilometers in the year, more than the regular drivers.”
Rossi further added, “He had full access to everything related to the company, including plans for next year. He was developing the car together with the two drivers, so there was nothing hidden.”
The Alpine CEO also stated that Alpine’s intention was very clear to make Piastri their future driver. However, he was understandably disappointed with his behavior to trade that for a better financial contract.
Alpine CEO reveals why he thinks Piastri didn’t want to go to Williams
While the feeling of losing Piastri to their rivals is a bitter one, Laurent Rossi has finally broken his silence in the Piastri saga. The Alpine CEO reveals why he thought Piastri didn’t want to go to Williams Racing. Alpine was considering sending Piastri to race for Williams in 2023. However, it was not to be, as a deal couldn’t be agreed upon.
Had some more fun in the A521 😁 This time around Spielberg, always an awesome place to come back to! pic.twitter.com/ybbY8IJH7g
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) June 3, 2022
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According to Alpine CEO, Oscar Piastri thought he was too good to drive for a team like Williams. He said, “Let’s think about [Max] Verstappen, [George] Russell or [Charles] Leclerc, all of them have gone from a lesser team first. Oscar didn’t want to go to Williams because I guess he felt better than that team.”
Rossi further gave Russell’s instance and stated, “It’s a bit presumptuous, to be honest. Russell was at Williams for three years and that doesn’t make him an inferior driver today.”
Alpine was wondering about releasing Piastri early after CRB’s decision. However, there has been no such update on the same by the French constructors.
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WATCH THIS STORY: How Did McLaren’s Chaotic Daniel Ricciardo-Oscar Piastri Saga Go Down?
It remains to be seen if Piastri’s move will be a stroke of genius or a very bad decision. Either way, Alpine will be thinking of an alternate strategy after Piastri joins McLaren. With the Aussie driver taking a wealth of information to Woking, do you think McLaren will beat Alpine next season?