Piastri disappointed in Alpine: 'They knew I wouldn't continue'.

Oscar Piastri can officially call himself a McLaren driver for 2023 after weeks of uncertainty surrounding his contract at Alpine. The Australian tells more about the strange situation surrounding the team's announcement.

Alpine was very surprised when Fernando Alonso announced that he would be leaving for Aston Martin in 2023. The team had expected the Spaniard to stay on for at least another year, but in the meantime Alonso had other plans. This suddenly left a seat vacant for Piastri, and Alpine was quick to officially announce the Australian on social media.

Formula 1 experts and fans immediately noticed that there were no quotes from Piastri himself in the press release. When the Australian announced on Twitter that he would not drive for Alpine in 2023, it immediately became clear that the team had acted behind his back.

Piastri tells in conversation with Formula1.com that he is disappointed with the way it was handled. His management had informed Alpine on several occasions that he would not be driving for the team. "My decision was made well in advance [of Alonso’s departure], which made Alpine’s announcement probably even more confusing and upsetting because we had told the team that I wasn’t going to continue", the young driver says.

Piastri didn't want to cause a scene

The sudden announcement also meant that Piastri did not have the chance to say goodbye to the team at Enstone, although he wanted to show his gratitude for all the work he had done. However, according to team boss Otmar Szafnauer, Piastri was 'smiling' when he was told the news and was also grateful.

"It was done publicly in front of some members of the team who were oblivious to the situation and I didn’t want to cause a scene in front of them. Once we were in private, I told Otmar what our position was and what he had been told multiple times before that. It was very surprising to me to make that announcement", Piastri says of the strange incident.