Formula 1
Alpine, McLaren… the future of Oscar Piastri still in the dark
While Alpine and McLaren will each lose a driver at the end of the season, the two teams have an agreement with Oscar Piastri. While the French team is looking to replace Fernando Alonso with the Australian, on the British side, Daniel Ricciardo’s successor is expected. This Monday, the CRB met with Alpine and McLaren to study the case of Oscar Piastri’s contracts, and the decision will be taken within a few days.
This Monday, the CRB (Contract Recognition Board) met with Alpine and McLaren to study the case of the contracts ofOscar Piastri. The French team claims that the driver it has trained has a contract valid for 2023, and even 2024, while on the side of the British team, we played the card that the Australian driver’s contract does not include the firm indication that he will be in a starting seat in 2023.
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“I think the CRB will take some time to deliberate”
While the two contracts offered to Oscar Piastri are valid, the decision of the CRB will be taken in a few days. An understandable choice for the director from Alpine, Otmar Szafnaueras he indicates in comments relayed by MotorSport. “I think the CRB will take some time to deliberate – not a lot, but a few days – and probably by the end of the week, when we get to Zandvoort, we will know. We didn’t start talks this weekend, but we have a slate in case, and of course, after we get the verdict, we’ll start serious talks. »
“We have several plans”
On the side of McLarenthe team manager, Zack Brown, does not wish to comment on the decision of the CRB and adds that the team has several options just in case. “We have several plans. There was a CRB meeting – I think we will be in a better position to comment on it after the result. We have a variety of options and of course the driver in question is clearly one of them, otherwise we wouldn’t be at this meeting! Let’s just see how it goes and then we’ll take it from there. »
“I maintain that IndyCar is at the highest level of motorsport”
Whereas Zak Brown admitted to having several options in case of failure to Oscar Piastrithe team manager McLaren mentioned the case of the IndyCar and even took the opportunity to joke about it. “I tried to get in the seat, but Andreas refused me as a driver! So I’m the only driver we’ve excluded so far! » But Zak Brown expressed himself more seriously and explained that he had had a few pilots from theIndyCar who have already carried out tests. “We have our test program, Colton Herta did a great job, Pato O’Ward was in the car at the end of last year, he did a great job. Of course we have our situation with Alex Palou happening in the United States, we’ll see how it goes, but we certainly intend to put him in our Formula 1, so all these drivers who have won a lot of races in a very competitive championship are an option. » The director of McLaren particularly wanted to end by supporting the IndyCar. “I argue that IndyCar is at the highest level of motorsport, so I think we have a handful of options on that side. »
