Oscar Piastri sheds new light on McLaren switch…Read more
Oscar Piastri sheds new light on McLaren switch in ‘service station car park’ reveal
Oscar Piastri reflected on the unusual circumstances of signing his McLaren F1 contract, recalling that the pivotal moment occurred in a service station car park in the UK.
The young Australian driver’s entry into Formula 1 was surrounded by drama after he rejected Alpine in favor of joining McLaren for the 2023 season.
Piastri, who won the Formula Renault Eurocup, Formula 3, and Formula 2 titles in consecutive years, was part of Alpine’s junior academy.
After Fernando Alonso announced his move to Aston Martin, Alpine declared Piastri as his replacement.
However, Piastri famously took to social media to refute this, stating he had not signed with Alpine.
This triggered a legal battle before the F1 Contract Recognition Board, which ultimately ruled in McLaren’s favor.
In a Gentleman’s Journal interview, Piastri described the moment he signed with McLaren as both memorable and unconventional.
“It was in a service station car park in the UK, so not the most glamorous setting, but still very special,” he said.
The controversy surrounding Piastri’s move was further fueled by the internal issues at Alpine.
Otmar Szafnauer, Alpine’s team boss at the time, distanced himself from the debacle, attributing the loss of both Alonso and Piastri to contractual mismanagement.
Szafnauer explained that Alpine had an option to secure Piastri as an F1 driver after his Formula 2 championship win, but it was never executed during the required timeframe in November 2021.
When the Contract Recognition Board ruled against Alpine, Szafnauer faced criticism after his image appeared on a press release addressing the situation.
He revealed on the High Performance Podcast that this decision was made without his input by Alpine’s communications department.
He claimed it was an attempt to shift blame onto him, saying, “There were people within Alpine who were untrustworthy and working against me.”
Piastri’s move to McLaren has since proven successful, with the Australian securing his first two grand prix wins in Hungary and Azerbaijan in 2024.
He remains under contract with McLaren until the end of the 2026 season, solidifying his place as one of F1’s rising stars.
Despite the rocky start, Piastri now looks forward to a promising future with the team.
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