Zack Brown, summarizing the 2022 results, admitted that he still has an unpleasant aftertaste after the lawsuit that unfolded this summer over the contract with Oscar Piastri. McLaren Racing’s executive director noted separately both the young Australian’s psychological resilience and the faulty methods Brown said were being used by Alpine F1 head Otmar Szafnauer.
The factory Renault team were confident they had a valid contract with Piastri, and when it became known that Fernando Alonso had transferred to Aston Martin, they rushed to announce that he would be Esteban Okon’s new partner. However, Oscar made it clear via social media that this was done without his approval and that he will not drive for Alpine in 2023.
As a result, the FIA Contract Recognition Board (CRB) settled the conflict between the two teams and issued a ruling in McLaren’s favour.
Zach Brown: “The season was not easy, there were enough difficulties. There were also good weekends, it was nice to see Lando Norris on the podium, but of course we had serious problems with Daniel Ricciardo. With him we failed to achieve the desired level of results, and it remained that way throughout the season.
But now I’m very happy that we managed to get another Australian, Oscar Piastri, albeit with a show of strength and dramatic circumstances. But even in the summer, during these trials, I saw him display commendable composure and determination.
You understand, he is only 21 years old, and the charges against him were brought by a major factory team, promising to charge him. But this did not bother him, and at the age of 21 he showed real strength of character and perseverance – I think now he is determined to prove everything to everyone with his results on the track.
Oskar did not engage in verbal altercations, although Otmar made some very nasty and inaccurate statements. But Oscar was above that, maintaining his composure, determination and showing maturity. I notice these qualities from him both at the wheel of the car and outside the cockpit. We see that he is a very fast racer.
Now we need to achieve his maximum integration with the team, which we did with Lando at the time. We are ready to give him all the support we can, to protect him from undue pressure, because he has a very fast partner now, but I’m sure Oscar will adapt perfectly.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
