Oscar Piastri’s case will be heard by a special FIA body – the Contract Recognition Commission (CRB) will meet in Geneva on Monday and will have to decide whether agreements with which of the teams take priority, Alpine or McLaren. It depends on whose uniform the talented Australian will be wearing in 2023.
Alpine F1 is confident that his contract, signed in November 2021, will run for three years, during which time Piastri will be obliged to work on Renault’s works team. Even if he doesn’t get a driver’s seat, only this team has the right to decide what Oscar will do.
It was rumored that Alpine had to confirm their intention to continue working with the Australian until July 31, but failed to do so in time, which allowed Oscar to declare that he would not play for this team in 2023,
But, as Alpine F1 head Otmar Szafnauer emphasized today, “there is no clause in the contract that we had to take action before July 31 – otherwise the driver will be released from obligations. There is no such thing, it is all fiction… “
It was also rumored that Piastri and McLaren management had consulted CRB in advance and would have assured them that the driver had the right to negotiate with other teams. Woking has not yet commented on the situation, but they have already announced the early termination of the contract with Daniel Ricciardo – there is no doubt that this has been done so that last year’s Formula 2 champion will be Lando Norris’ new partner in 2023. is becoming .
Now CRB will have to analyze everything in detail and determine who has more rights over the 21-year-old rider. According to Auto Motor und Sport, FIA lawyers previously only had a shortened version of the contract with Alpine signed by Oscar Piastri, and now the team has provided the full text of the document.
But if CRB decides in McLaren’s favour, the story could already go on in civil court: Alpine’s management is preparing a lawsuit demanding Piastri pay for the costs incurred by the team, supporting him since the start of the season. their collaboration and prepare for the debut of Formula 1.
Rumor has it that this amount could be between 5 and 10 million dollars, as it takes into account the financial support Oscar received from Alpine last year, speaking in F2 for Prema, and the cost of organizing private tests in which he won F1. and even working on the simulator at the team’s base in Enstone. By the way, Piastri is promised this season that he will hold two practice sessions on Friday, the first of which can already take place in Monza, and that he will drive another 1,500 km on test.
Why the Australian chose to sign with McLaren and part ways with Alpine is not entirely clear. The simplest explanation is that Woking offered better financial terms, but people who know Oscar well assure that money has never been a priority for him, he just wants to play for a good team.
But even if he does end up at McLaren, there’s a good chance he won’t look so radiant against the backdrop of Lando Norris, a driver who is very fast and also very gifted. In theory, it is much more profitable for Piastri to gain experience by being Esteban Ocon’s partner and driving a car that he at least knows well from his work on the simulator.
Probably Oscar, when he can comment on this situation himself, will tell what logic he was guided by. If he wants to, and if he can, of course.
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
