Piastri rejects Alpine announcement: 'This is wrong – I have not signed a contract for 2023'

F1

Oscar Piastri has rejected Alpine's claim that it has taken up an option to drive for the team in 2023

2022-Alpine-reserve-driver-Oscar-Piastri

Piastri has now officially joined McLaren

DPPI

Author

James Elson

Oscar Piastri has strongly rejected Alpine’s announcement that he will drive for the team next year, saying “This is wrong and I have not signed a contract for 2023.”

The day after Fernando Alonso’s shock move to Aston Martin, which Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer admitted took it by surprise, the Enstone outfit moved fast to announce its reserve driver Piastri as part of its race team alongside Esteban Ocon next year, apparently to ward off any claim McLaren might have.

However Piastri was strangely absent from the announcement with no quote featured, and now the 2021 F2 champion and Alpine junior has refuted the Enstone team’s claim on him.

“I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year,” a social media post from the Australian read. “This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.”

Many have paddock sources have indicated Alpine would be loathe to lose a driver it has invested so much in, Piastri being a part of its junior academy since 2020, and the accompanying statement with the initial announcement suggests that by detailing all its has done for him.

“In line with the commitments made by the team to the young Australian, Oscar will be promoted to race driver and step in Fernando Alonso’s seat from next year onwards,” it said.

“Oscar has been a valued member of the Alpine family for the past four years. As part of his formative F1 journey, Oscar was first promoted to BWT Alpine F1 Team Reserve Driver at the start of the 2022 season and has since been undergoing, under the team’s guidance and its full financial support, an intensive and comprehensive training programme of private tests in the race-winning A521, the 2021 Alpine F1 car, race support and simulator sessions to prepare him for the next big step into F1.

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“Alpine now looks forward to seeing the next stage in his F1 career alongside Esteban Ocon.”

However, the lack of a confirmation from Piastri only fuelled rumours that his manager Mark Webber had been negotiating with McLaren, which also wanted to hire the young Australian.

Szafnauer admitted in an interview with Autosport that after the shock Alonso announcement he attempted to contact Webber, and seemed to imply he had not had a response.

“This just happened on Monday,” he said when discussing recent moves in the driver market. “So it’s now Tuesday, his manager is in Australia, there’s a bit of a time difference.

“But I’ve been trying to get hold of Mark and wrote some text messages and some emails to him, as well. So give us a bit of time. Oscar is our number one preferred candidate. And that’s what we’re going to do.”

The Alpine boss stated that it had first call on Piastri, but the timing of the announcement – without the accompaniment of a quote or social media posts from Piastri – suggests the team did so to force the issue and lay claim to the Australian.

The situation appears to mirror that of McLaren’s attempted signing of Alex Palou in IndyCar, when his current team Ganassi announced a contract extension, which was then refuted by the driver, he drawing particular attention to a “fabricated” quote in the press release.

Ganassi has now sued Palou, with the Spaniard counter-suing for “defamation”.

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