Piastri feels pressure: 'But leaving Alpine doesn't contribute to that'

Oscar Piastri will drive for McLaren next F1 season and the Australian's arrival at the team from Woking was not without controversy. The heated battle between McLaren and Alpine has been decided and cooled and Piastri too has now put it behind him.

The FIA court had to step in to decide where debuting F1 driver Piastri would drive in 2023. On one side was Alpine, the team wanting to keep their junior and fill the gap of the suddenly departed Fernando Alonso with him. McLaren were quick and struck a deal with Piastri, which meant that the young Australian was immediately signed to McLaren after his contract at Alpine expired.

Piastri feels no pressure from Alpine

McLaren won the fight over Piastri, but it was a big row between the two teams. At the launch of McLaren's new MCL60 for 2023, Piastri spoke to the press, including GPBlog.com. The F1 rookie said he did not feel any additional pressure from the Alpine angle: "I don't think so no. My goals have not changed in any way. Apart from how it ended last year, there are probably some expectations because of my junior career that I had. There will be expectations from certain angles, but I don't think [Alpine] is adding to that."

Alpine has invested a lot in Piastri's career and is now missing the opportunity to reap the benefits. Indeed, the team where the driver sits this year was the major competitor last year. It is possible that Alpine and McLaren will be rivals again this year. Piastri's noisy switch could make for a nice rivalry. Piastri himself does not care much: "I'm well and truly past that now. I am focused on starting my career at McLaren, making sure I try and hit the ground running and being up to speed as quickly as I can."