Oscar Piastri insists he informed Alpine “multiple times” he would be leaving the team to join rivals McLaren before the saga over his Formula 1 contract.
On Friday it was announced Piastri would race for McLaren in 2023 after the Contract Recognition Board voted unanimously in its favour over its contract dispute with Alpine over Piastri’s services.
Alpine believed it had a valid contract with Piastri, who is the team’s reserve driver, and unveiled him as its second driver for next year following Fernando Alonso’s decision to move to Aston Martin.
But as Alpine had prioritised renewing Alonso’s contract beyond 2022, Piastri and his management looked elsewhere for a seat on the grid.
Opening up on the long-running saga, Piastri felt Alpine’s public wish to retain Alonso and the uncertainty around his future at the Enstone-based outfit ultimately pushed him towards talking to McLaren over an F1 drive.
“The CRB ruling has confirmed I didn’t have a contract for the 2023 season [with Alpine],” Piastri told F1.com. “I was free to choose my destiny – and I felt McLaren was a great opportunity. They were very straightforward and very keen and enthusiastic to have me.
“To be completely honest, there was a lack of clarity around my future at the team at Alpine. They publicly stated they wished to continue with Fernando for at least one or two more years.
“I respect that. But after spending the year out, my hopes were firmly set on an Alpine seat and the lack of clarity and, similarly to Fernando, a bit of a strange feeling in negotiations, it didn’t feel like it was the right decision for me [to stay around].
“The lack of clarity around my future, and ultimately a breakdown in trust, I felt the very attractive offer of McLaren and the positive dealings with them thus far were all reasons why I felt McLaren was where I was best off for the future.”
Alpine had moved swiftly to confirm Piastri as Alonso’s replacement when Alonso’s switch to Aston Martin was announced, but the Australian denied he would race for the team in 2023.
It has now emerged Piastri signed a contract with McLaren on July 4 and told Alpine he wouldn’t be driving for the team next year, leading to the public dispute between both teams over his signature – which Piastri was upset with how it was handled.
“My decision was made well in advance [of Alonso’s departure], which made Alpine’s announcement probably even more confusing and upsetting because we had told the team that I wasn’t going to continue,” he said.
“It was quite upsetting as the announcement was false and it also denied me the opportunity to properly say goodbye to everyone at Enstone.
“I had been with team for a bit over two and a half years now, and for the rest of the team to find out I was leaving in that manner was very upsetting. I still haven’t had the opportunity to say goodbye and it’s something I want to do to show my gratitude to all the men and women at Enstone.”
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer revealed he had informed Piastri whilst he was in the simulator he would be in a race seat for 2023, claiming the 2021 F2 champion “smiled and was thankful”.
Asked to recall that conversation, Piastri said: “That was a bizarre and frankly upsetting episode. It was done publicly in front of some members of the team who were oblivious to the situation and I didn’t want to cause a scene in front of them.
“Once we were in private, I told Otmar what our position was and what he had been told multiple times before that. It was very surprising to me to make that announcement.”
Explaining why he took to Twitter to respond to Alpine’s press release, Piastri it was important to clear up the situation to avoid “potential legal implications”.
“It was the biggest moment of my career and probably my life up to now,” Piastri said. “To have that falsely announced was something my management and I felt we had to correct and there was also potential legal implications if we didn’t deny the announcement.
“It was not intended to be pointed or in any way anything more than factual. The last line was quite a strong one, but with the CRB ruling, it shows it was purely a fact.”
While Alpine has accepted the CRB’s verdict on the matter, Szafnauer revealed the team would now consider releasing Piastri from his role as reserve driver before the end of the season.
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