Oscar Piastri spoke about the chain of events that accompanied his transition from Alpine to McLaren…
Oscar Piastri: “I decided to leave Alpine long before Alonso left and told the team I had no intention of staying. And I was very upset when Alpine released a contract statement with me for 2023. This made it impossible for me to say goodbye to everyone at Enstone.
I was working on the simulator when Otmar Szafnauer came up to me and said I would be driving for Alpine next season. Strange and embarrassing moment. This was said publicly in front of some employees who didn’t know the situation and I didn’t want to make a scene for them. But as soon as we were alone, I reminded Otmar of my position, of what I had repeatedly told him. And the statement from the team that followed came as a complete surprise to me.
It was the most important moment of my career, if not my whole life. After the false statement, we knew we had to fix it, that there could be legal consequences if we didn’t respond. We didn’t mean to offend anyone, we were just stating a fact. And the Contract Recognition Council confirmed this.
Having worked in the team for a little over two and a half years, it was unpleasant for the employees to hear of my departure in this way. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye and I want to do that by thanking everyone at Enstone.
Technically, I will remain Alpine’s reserve pilot until the end of the year and will be happy to fulfill these duties, but the team and I will discuss my role. Let’s see what it will look like, then I would like to go to McLaren next season.
As an Australian, I am very sorry that I will replace Ricciardo of all the riders. I’ve been supporting him for ten years, I treat him with great respect. He has won races, he has been on the podium, Ricciardo has a bright personality, he is a fantastic ambassador for our sport.
I wish him all the best for the future. I can’t choose which driver to replace. I could only take up this offer because Daniel had previously driven this car. McLaren really wanted me and I didn’t want to miss this opportunity.”
Source: F1 News
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