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The damage that follows Alpine & Piastri
The driver market has absolutely exploded into life, with a sequence of movements which has now left one team with a very poor taste in its mouth. Alpine F1 team and their ex-academy product Oscar Piastri are now seemingly at wars, with a contract dispute between the two escalating all the way to the FIA Contracts Recognition Board. We take a look at the possible fallout.
What is known?
Oscar Piastri will certainly not be racing for Alpine F1 team next season and there is little interest in some sort of an amicable reunion between the two camps.McLaren seems to be the most likely destination for the young Australian, with his compatriot, Daniel Ricciardo, coming to an agreement with the Woking squad to leave them at the end of this season.
Alpine has its focus entirely now on the FIA Contracts Recognition Board to receive clarity on the matter. The French marque will need to continue its frantic search for the driver to fill the vacant seat in 2023.
If Piastri is guilty
Proving that Piastri and his management team are at fault is the most favourable outcome for Alpine. This helps regain confidence in the attempt to show that the young Australian has breached his contractual obligations. It also garners the lost dignity, after Alpine managed to lose two drivers in the space of a week earlier in the summer break.
Furthermore, Alpine will be seeking financial compensation. They feel, above all else, that their financial investment in Piastri’s career has not provided them with the return they expected. Therefore, Piastri & his management will likely have to pay a yearly amount, until the agreed-upon damages are cleared. It is highly unlikely that McLaren will step in to clear any of the payments, as the contract dispute is occurring exclusively with Piastri and Alpine.
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What can be learnt from this?
With this incident, as well as the emergence of extended multi-year deals, F1 as a whole is experiencing a gradual shift in its “contract landscape”. While driver pay is not covered under the budget cap, it still remains as a significant financial outflow and will be under even greater concern after Ricciardo’s performances in the last two years.
However, now every single aspect must be brought under even more consideration. As teams and drivers become more bold and swift in their negotiations, the fine details will become even more crucial. Release clauses, contract length, options & obligations will all be brought into scrutiny as everyone will be wanting to prevent experiencing a fallout of this size.
It seems that we might get some answers this afternoon because McLaren will be hosting a press event at Zandvoort Circuit.
