Laurent Rossi: We learned from the Piastri story

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi said the team learned from last year’s story with Oscar Piastri, when the Australian driver voluntarily canceled his contract and moved to McLaren. Alpine has renegotiated contracts with young pilots, students of the Academy, to protect itself against a repeat of an unpleasant situation in the future.

Laurent Rossi: “We learned a lot – it would be foolish not to learn from this lesson. The team learned something new. It turns out that loyalty does not exist when personal interests are at stake. It can be difficult for people when they are too young to weigh the pros and cons.

We found out that we were not well prepared in some areas, especially in how we make contracts with the drivers from our Academy, and how we then transfer those contracts to Formula 1. I think you can remember the words of Toto Wolff and Christian Horner recalls that this story set a precedent.

So we found out that we left too many open doors in the contract because none of us thought people would just get up and go through those open doors. Well, we have drawn conclusions and have already changed everything. Now we are taking a more business-like approach and protecting our contracts. If a rider wants to sign a contract with Alpine, stricter conditions await him. This is no longer the situation when we just shake hands and tell the rider we are happy to see him in the family.

He is still in our family, but in a contracted family. As if children have a contract with their parents. It’s a little sad, but that’s the way it is. You don’t expect the kids to leave home forever one night. Previously, we did not close the contract with a padlock, but now we are forced to do so.

I think it’s because of the development of the industry – the stakes have increased, there’s more money in the field now, potentially making someone dizzy. We need to come to terms with the new business and become more professional in contracting.

Honestly, I wouldn’t call riders disloyal. They also have a career that they manage. If they have a bad season, they are without a contract. It’s difficult, so I think they have to defend their interests. There are probably ways to do this.

It’s not at all like I would prevent Oscar from leaving the team. If he came to us with something constructive, he would just say, ‘Hey guys, I have a suggestion. Can we talk?”

His actions surprised us. I think Daniel Ricciardo was also surprised by the whole story, which says a lot in itself. Everything could have been more open, but we don’t want that now. That’s why we changed the contracts. We have learned lessons for ourselves. Other than that, Oscar is still the same person and I wish him all the best.”

When asked if he is willing to invite Oscar Piastri to Alpine in the future, Laurent Rossi said: “We will see if we get into this situation. There is absolutely no need to hold a grudge as it only destroys you and what you want to do. This story is past. Now we have Pierre Gasly, so why do I need someone else?

I don’t say no and I don’t say yes. We’ll see when it comes.”