Formula 1 Zoff: This top talent is causing a stir

On his boat tour off the Greek islands, Fernando Alonso was probably amused by the embarrassment of the Formula 1 racing team Alpine in the contract dispute with Oscar Piastri. The belligerent two-time world champion was recently not in the Ionian Sea or the Aegean Sea, but in his home country of Spain. Sebastian Vettel's future successor at Aston Martin confirmed this himself on social networks.

Why is this important? Because Alonso's French factory team Alpine doesn't seem to have an easy time with facts and has started the summer break of the premier motorsport class with an Oscar-worthy farce. Starring: a young Australian. The first act: Suddenly Alonso signs somewhere else The opening blast belongs to Alonso. It was only on Monday that Aston Martin announced the now 41-year-old as Vettel's successor from next season. His current Alpine team had assumed that they would continue to work with the Spaniard next year. “I was confident that despite the talks, there is nothing wrong with exploring, we are very close to an agreement,” Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer said in retrospect on Tuesday morning.

Fernando Alonso got the ball rolling. © AFP / JUSTIN TALLIS

Alonso also assured him that he had “not signed anything yet”. Then his star pilot, who beat Michael Schumacher in the World Cup fight in 2005 and 2006, allegedly sailed towards the Greek islands. Alonso was suddenly announced as Vettel's successor. The 32-time Grand Prix winner turned down a one-year contract plus a one-year option in order to get a longer-term commitment, Szafnauer explained the sticking point. Aston Martin won the contract. The second act: Alpine creates facts Plan A at Alpine was to extend the expiring contract with Alonso and supposedly have replacement driver Oscar Piastri complete a year of training at Williams. Since Plan A failed, the French now had to act. On Tuesday morning, Alpine team boss Szafnauer explained that Piastri, successive champion in Formula 3 and Formula 2, was the preferred candidate to succeed Alonso. You also have contract options for 2023 and 2024 for the 21-year-old.

Otmar Szafnauer is the Alpine team boss. © AFP / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC

However, there is nothing to announce yet, as Piastri and his camp are still weighing options, “whatever that means,” as Szafnauer noted. The young Australian and his manager Mark Webber, Vettel's former Red Bull teammate, have been in contact with McLaren for a long time.

On Tuesday afternoon everything seemed to be clarified: Piastri would be promoted and drive alongside Frenchman Esteban Ocon from 2023. What was unusual, however, was that the statement from the future pilot was missing. The third act: The surprising twist Piastri's manager Webber may have been surprised by the announcement. According to Szafnauer, the 45-year-old was in Australia and will not have noticed anything at first due to the time difference. The Alpine team boss sent Webber at least a few text messages and emails in advance. The result? Piastri himself caused the surprising turn of events on Tuesday evening. “I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be riding for Alpine next year,” Piastri wrote.

The racing team's message was incorrect and had not been agreed upon with him. Did Alpine actually want to create facts without reassuring themselves from the youngster? Or did Piastri and his manager not understand something correctly? The fourth act: And now? Alpine sees itself in the right. “We believe that our announcement is legally correct, but we have nothing more to say about it,” said the racing team. Piastri sees it differently. But having to fight a dispute like this without having completed a single Formula 1 race is a big deal. How clear is the contractual situation? An agreement that Piastri will drive for Alpine in 2023 is currently at least complicated.

Alpine could reach an agreement with a rival for this. If it is actually McLaren that is dissatisfied with the Australian Daniel Ricciardo, a compensation payment would be conceivable. A return of Ricciardo, who had already driven for Alpine's predecessor team Renault in 2019 and 2020, would be conceivable. Or the Alpine/Piastri case ends up before the contract chamber of the world association Fia. Alonso will also be following this scenario with great interest.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Formula 1 Zoff: This top talent is causing a stir

Fiction and truth in Formula 1. Alpine announces a top Australian talent as a driver for 2023. The catch: Oscar Piastri himself sees it completely differently. What's behind it?

Suggestions

Comments (0)