Formula One talent Oscar Piastre is ready for McLaren.
And so, this year’s big controversy in Formula One ended.
Last year Oscar Piastre won a Formula 2 race, and this year he was a reserve driver for Alpine and McLaren in Formula 1. So he’s not yet in Formula 1, but it was still the big talk of the summer.
The reason is that Fernando Alonso decided to leave Alpine on July 31, 2022. Then suddenly Alpine left the driver’s seat and because the French team was convinced that it had a contract with Oscar Piastri, it was also presented as driver for 2023.
But just two hours later, Biastri took to Twitter and denied the deal.
He claimed he had not signed a deal with Alpine, and when McLaren fired Daniel Ricciardo two weeks later, it became clear why. Piastre wanted to drive for McLaren and McLaren also wanted to make room for him. So, Ricardo had to go.
Alpine did not want to give up but took the case to the Independent Contract Recognition Board and after two days of deliberation they ruled in favor of McLaren. They will be rivaled by Piastre in 2023 and 2024.
Oscar Piastre Ready for McLaren 2023
According to a press release, Piastri and McLaren signed an agreement on July 4, two weeks before Alonso decided to leave the Alps.
“I’m really looking forward to my F1 debut at a prestigious team like McLaren,” says Oscar Piastre in a comment.
McLaren is also very satisfied with this new collaboration.
Oscar showed his talent in the support series against Formula 1 and we look forward to him racing for us in 2023, says McLaren CEO Zak Brown.
The fact that he won Formula 3 and Formula 2 in his first seasons shows how capable he is. With Lando and Oscar we have an exciting young driver couple with great potential.
Today’s decision means that there is now a driver’s seat available in Alpine, along with Esteban Ocon. It could give Daniel Ricciardo a chance to return to the team he raced for before joining McLaren for 2021, but it could also be a chance for Mick Schumacher, who is now racing with Haas, or for Frenchman Pierre Gasly, now at AlphaTauri.
Formula 1 is competing in the Netherlands over the weekend and Sportbladet reports in F1 live via objective service from qualifying and the GP.