One of the brightest young talents in motorsport this week found himself embroiled in a massive contract dispute that could put one of Formula 1’s most popular drivers out of a job next season.
Oscar Piastri, currently a reserve/test driver for the Alpine F1 team, was announced on Tuesday as one of the team’s two main drivers for the 2023 season. However, about 30 minutes after Alpine issued the press release, Piasti wrote on twitter He is not under contract with Alpine for the 2023 season, and Called the press release “wrong.”
Rumour has it that the 21-year-old Piastri has signed a 2023 contract with McLaren F1, which is currently battling Alpine for fourth place in the constructors’ championship in 2022.These rumors appear to have credibility, as RACER reported Friday, McLaren Exit talks in progress with eight-time race champion Daniel Ricciardo and believes that it has a valid contract with Piastri.
At the same time, Alpine Believe it has a contract with Piastri effective 2023told RACER that they believed they declared Piastri’s statement “legally correct”.
So, will Piastri make his F1 debut in 2023? What does this mean for Ricardo, whose turbulent career is partly underlined by the popular Netflix documentary “Drive to Survive”?
interview: Daniel Ricciardo tries to make sense of a lackluster season
Comparing F1 stars to NFL QBs:Which driver would be your favorite QB?
How did it all start?
Formula 1 is known for chaotic mid-seasons, with drivers changing teams. This period usually begins during the sport’s annual summer break and is known as the “Stupid Season”.
However, this is rare. The first domino to fall in this situation was the retirement of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. This has led to current Alpine driver Fernando Alonso swooping in and replacing Vettel at Aston Martin in 2023 – a move that, According to RACER, Alpine did not understand Until Aston Martin’s press release.
Alonso’s sudden departure has left a hole in the Alps, which it is trying to fill with Piastri, the team’s reserve driver who also emerged through the Alpine Youth Programme people. But that plan appeared to fall through after Piastri refuted the team’s statement, which remains on Alpine’s Twitter account.
Meanwhile, questions surrounding Ricciardo’s seat are starting to heat up as the Australian continues to struggle in his second year at McLaren. Ricciardo has been routinely passed by his team-mate Lando Norris since 2021 and is no longer a driver at Red Bull from 2014-18.
Who is Oscar Piastrie?
Piastri is a 21-year-old Australian rider who has been part of the Alpine Junior Program since 2020. The Junior Programme helps young drivers progress in the small car series as they work their way up to F1.
Piastri won the 2020 Formula 3 championship and the 2021 Formula 2 championship, becoming the fifth driver to win both series in consecutive years. According to the FIA, the governing body of motorsport, drivers who have won the F2 championship cannot rejoin the following year. With no seats available in F1 for 2022, this leaves Piastri in no-man’s land – Alpine eventually signed him a pre-contract for 2022 to keep Piastri connected to the team and give the Australian some experience with F1 racing .
Will Daniel Ricciardo race in F1 next year?
It’s hard to imagine Ricciardo not racing in F1 next year, but it makes sense. If Piastri takes the second McLaren seat in 2023, Ricciardo will have no choice – and none will be great.
Ricciardo is likely to take the vacant seat in the Alps. Before joining McLaren, he drove for the team under the Renault name in the 2019-20 season. Ricciardo is fifth in the Renault drivers’ standings in 2020.
For a team that could see both its top options for 2023 – Alonso and Piastri – it would be hard for Alpine to find a better quick-fix replacement than Ricciardo.
McLaren has yet to announce a Piastri or Ricciardo for 2023, but the team has also been linked with other drivers, including IndyCar youngster Colton Herta.
This sounds familiar. Isn’t there something similar in IndyCar?
Yes, this should sound particularly familiar since McLaren is also at the center of IndyCar. Chip Ganassi Racing has announced it will bring back 2021 IndyCar Series champion Alex Palau for the 2023 season, but Palau denies it and McLaren says it has signed Palau for next season’s IndyCar racing team.
Chip Ganassi Racing sued Palau, which is still racing for the team in 2022, over a contract dispute. Both parties are now heading to federal court.
Who will adjudicate F1 contract disputes?
Contractual disputes in F1 are adjudicated by the FIA Joint Recognition Board (CRB), a group of independent lawyers who resolve disputes out of court. Alpine has called on the board to determine the validity of its contract with Piastri. Thanks to the CRB, Piastri’s situation will likely be resolved before the fate of Palou’s IndyCar is unknown.
The situation is similar to the decision made by the CRB in 2004, when F1 driver Jenson Button tried to leave BAR-Honda for Williams. The CRB ruled in favor of Honda, which retained Button’s service for the 2005 season.
More F1:‘Time to act’: Formula 1 Lewis Hamilton responds to racist remarks
So may Piastri be forced to drive for the Alpine in 2023?
If the CRB rules in Alpine’s favor, yes. Under the contract, he will be obliged to drive for them. However, if the group determines that McLaren’s contract is valid and replaces Alpine’s, Piastri will be free to join McLaren, with Alpine taking the vacant seat until 2023.
