What Is the Reason Behind the Chaotic Alpine-Oscar Piastri Situation?

Formula 1 is a traveling circus that sets up its tents at a new province every racing weekend. However, in it is summer break, when all things come to a halt, it is the driver market that becomes the new circus. As things stand, the current headlines circle around the circus master, Alpine, and its reserve driver, Oscar Piastri.

In the woke of losing its star driver, Fernando Alonso to Aston Martin, the team ‘promoted’ its young star. The team released a statement on Twitter that confirmed the Aussie to be a part of the F1 grid. Nevertheless, it was a short-lived fairytale.

Only a few hours later, the 21-year-old denied having any agreement with his current employer, which set up havoc in the F1 world and many failed to believe the unraveling of such events. The Melbourne born racing driver’s contract with the Alpine team concluded on 31st July, which meant he was a free agent and could negotiate with other constructors in the paddock.

Also, the French team had little information about Alonso jumping ship, until it was unveiled in the press release. The team was simply not prepared for such a shocking turn of events that would lead them to lose their driver.

Consequently, to make amends, they tried a ‘Power Play’, by taking to social media and directly announcing the Aussie without his consent, hoping that would help them not lose the 2021 Formula 2 champion. Nonetheless, Oscar Piastri was having none of it and stood his ground in declaring that he won’t be associated with the team next year.

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From here it can lead to a legal battle between the entities representing them. Do you think it was right by the team to announce the driver without his consent?

Will Oscar Piastri race for a different F1 team?

The driver representing the Australian flag is part of the Alpine driver academy and the Renault-powered team has heavily invested in him. However, all things point towards him racing in a different race suit the following season and it looks like he is the next Aussie at McLaren.

Yet, Alpine boss, Otmar Szfaneur, thinks differently as he said, “I’m not privy to whatever pre-arrangements he has with McLaren, if any at all. But I hear the same rumors that you do in the pitlane. But what I do know is that he does have contractual obligations to us. And we do to him. And we’ve been honoring those obligations all year.

“And those obligations, last through ’23, and possibly in ’24, if some options are taken up. And our obligations to him this year was to be a reserve driver, to also put him in last year’s car for a significant amount of time. We’re well over half that programme of 5000 kilometers, which isn’t insignificant, in last year’s car, in preparation for a race next year.”

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When each driver starts his karting career, he dreams of reaching the pinnacle of motorsport. Given that, no announcement by the future talent of the sport was a big red flag. Do you think Piastri has already found a better racing stable for the next season?