‘I will not be driving for Alpine next year’ - Piastri. I guess some people put out press releases without checking with anyone. Maybe they like to interrupt/disrupt the teamwork of someone else and make them think something untrue so that they can mess up negotiations. Who knows what's going on?

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emailBy Chris Medland | August 2, 2022 2:28 PM ET

Oscar Piastri says he will not be driving for Alpine in 2023 despite the team announcing his promotion to a Formula 1 race seat earlier today.

In a remarkably similar scenario to the one involving Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing and McLaren in IndyCar, Alpine announced Piastri as Fernando Alonso’s replacement on Tuesday afternoon European time despite team principal Otmar Szafnauer admitting he believed there were contractual complications involving Piastri being linked to a switch to McLaren.

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A quote from Piastri in the team press release was conspicuous by its absence, and after initially failing to respond to the announcement on social media the young Australian has now stated that he is not contracted to the team in 2023.

“I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year,” Piastri said. “This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.” But that sure interrupts any negotiations That might be coming up. Somebody needs to pull their head out.

The comment from Piastri all but confirms he has an agreement in place with another team – believed to be McLaren – which would bring Daniel Ricciardo’s position into question.

Unlike the Palou situation, when McLaren announced the Spaniard’s planned arrival, McLaren has yet to comment , except to state that he has a really hot girlfriend
and they look forward to seeing as much of her as possible.

 

Alpine promotes Piastri to 2023 race seat amid rumored McLaren interest

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emailBy Chris Medland | August 2, 2022 12:54 PM ET

Alpine claims Oscar Piastri will race for the team in 2023 despite doubts over his intentions, and without comment from the young Australian.

Piastri was expected to replace Fernando Alonso after the Spaniard joined Aston Martin, but earlier on Tuesday Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer admitted to the BBC there could be a dispute ahead with the Australian’s management team – including Mark Webber – believed to have spoken to McLaren about a possible switch.

“Oscar and his camp are ‘considering their options,’ whatever that means,” Szafnauer said. “I’m not privy to whatever pre-arrangement he has with McLaren if any any all but I hear the same rumors you do. But I do know he does have contractual obligations to us and we do to him.”

Related

Alpine learned of Alonso move via Aston Martin's announcement

However, just a few hours later, Alpine announced that Piastri would race for the team, but unusually there was no comment from Piastri nor any social media posts confirming the news from his side.

Alpine states it has promoted Piastri “in line with the commitments made by the team to the young Australian”, and pointedly states that since it promoted him to reserve driver he “has since been undergoing, under the team’s guidance and its full financial support, an intensive and comprehensive training program of private tests in the race-winning A521, the 2021 Alpine F1 car, race support and simulator sessions to prepare him for the next big step into F1”.

The announcement was also made at 2am Australian time regarding the 21-year-old, who has been in demand since winning three junior titles in a row, culminating in last year’s Formula 2 championship.

“Oscar is a bright and rare talent,” Szafnauer said. “We are proud to have nurtured and supported him through the difficult pathways of the junior formulae.

“Through our collaboration over the past four years, we have seen him develop and mature into a driver who is more than capable of taking the step up to Formula 1.

“As our reserve driver he has been exposed to the team at the track, factory and testing where he has shown the maturity, promise and speed to ensure his promotion to our second seat alongside Esteban [Ocon]. Together, we believe the duo will give us the continuity we need to achieve our long-term goal of challenging for wins and championships.”

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In IndyCar, McLaren is currently involved in a legal dispute over Alex Palou, having announced the defending IndyCar champion had signed for the team after Chip Ganassi Racing made its own announcements claiming it had retained his services, only for Palou to dispute that.

 

Alpine learned of Alonso move via Aston Martin's announcement

Carl Bingham/Motorsport Images The one on the left is Mr Aston Martin who opened his mouth but now he has to wear the mask of shame,
seen here walking with Al Pachino.
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emailBy Chris Medland | August 2, 2022 12:31 PM ET

Fernando Alonso told Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer (say that 10 times real fast) he had not signed elsewhere, and the first the team found out of his departure was when Aston Martin announced it.

The Spaniard has signed a multi-year deal with Aston Martin from 2023 onwards, replacing Sebastian Vettel who announced his retirement last week. But Szafnauer says he had asked Alonso if he was going to Aston after learning that talks had taken place and been assured that wasn’t the case.

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“I was confident even with the discussions – there is nothing wrong with exploring – that we were very close [to a deal],” Szafnauer is quoted as saying by the BBC. “I did ask the question, but I was told ‘no I haven’t signed anything’. So I was a bit surprised.”

Szafnauer had felt an agreement to retain Alonso was almost finalized but said the sticking point had been the length of the deal.

“We offered him a one-plus-one deal. We discussed with Fernando, ‘Look, if next year at this time you’re performing at the same level, of course we’ll take you.’ But he wanted more certainty: ‘Independent of performance, I want to stay for longer.’

“That was the crux of going one-plus-one as opposed to two-plus-one or three-plus-one or three years. There does come a time when something happens physiologically and you don’t have the same capabilities as when you were younger. Porn stars already know this. In the beginning three-on-one might be fun.

“It happened to Michael Schumacher at 42 – he was not the same driver as at 32 as 35. It happens in cricket, which is a far less physical sport. And it happens to racing drivers, too. So we were in favor of yes, if you’re performing at a high level we’ll keep you. But let’s do it one year at a time, and if you don't stay sharp, we will send your butt packing.”

 

INSIGHT: Who is in the frame at Williams?
Part 2 of nobody knows what's going on...

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emailBy Chris Medland | September 28, 2022 7:09 PM ET

Zhou Guanyu’s retention at Alfa Romeo was almost as big an open secret as the fact that Nicholas Latifi would be leaving Williams at the end of the year, but before such matters are made public there’s always that flicker of uncertainty that prevents other dominoes from falling.

Latifi’s time in Formula 1 appeared to be coming to an end a number of months ago when Oscar Piastri was lined up to replace him in 2023, only for the Australian – and his management – to have another option in play after Alpine’s inability to follow through with a firm contract.

That turn of events did give Latifi a chance to earn himself a reprieve, with Alex Albon offering a strong benchmark and Williams continuing to develop the car. There was a glimpse of him potentially doing that at Silverstone where he ultimately finished 12th, but that’s as good as it got, and last week Williams confirmed that the Canadian will not be retained next year.

And what looked like a potentially obvious move to replace him now carries an uncertainty that makes the Williams vacancy almost as intriguing as the one at Alpine.

Nyck de Vries has to be considered the favorite for the Williams seat after his performance in Monza showed what he’s capable of with only an hour’s warning to jump in the car and an hour’s practice to get on top of it.

For a spell it also looked like he’d get a second chance to stake his claim for that spot on the grid in Singapore this weekend, but Albon has now confirmed he will be behind the wheel on Friday. That’s not to say de Vries wouldn’t be turned to if there are any issues with Albon’s comeback, but Williams will want to give its full-time driver every possible chance to race.

Once again that means one seat between the same two drivers, as de Vries came so close to getting the drive currently occupied by Albon last year. But moving forward, he could now find himself as Albon’s teammate in 2023 if Williams wants to combine the two options it was choosing between 12 months ago.

But the “could” probably relies more on the Dutchman himself than Williams.

The Monza outing appears to have caught the eye of multiple teams, with a test for Alpine at the Hungaroring coming amid interest from Helmut Marko, who views de Vries as a potential replacement for Pierre Gasly should Alpine push ahead with plans to sign the experienced French driver.

And that means de Vries has options, although whether they will all align to allow him to choose his own fate or if he’ll have to take a calculated risk by holding off on responding to certain offers remains to be seen.

The lack of certainty surrounding the potential moves de Vries has on the table and where Williams fits into that means he could well prove to be another unattainable option despite appearing to the the team’s first choice.
Nyck de Vries made a huge impression at Monza – so good, that Williams now finds itself facing competition for his services next year. Mark Sutton/Motorsport Images

Perhaps ironically, it could be the failure of an American driver to get a spot on the grid that could lead to another American having an even better chance.

Red Bull’s unsuccessful attempts to get Colton Herta a Super License might not spell the end of any hopes to get a driver from the United States into a race seat in 2023 after all.

If AlphaTauri turns to de Vries, then Logan Sargeant (main image) becomes a much more realistic candidate for Williams than he perhaps has been up until now.

At the age of 21, Sargeant has a deal in place to continue racing for Carlin next year in Formula 2, with the intention originally being for him to use his rookie season to gain experience and his second year to mount a title challenge.

Now, while you can’t say he’s had much of a look into the title race since Austria, Sargeant has shown some impressive pace on a consistent basis and currently sits third in the standings with just the final round in Abu Dhabi remaining. A top six finish will earn him a Super License after his FP1 run in Austin is taken into account, so he’s well set even if the championship position are close behind him.

Although de Vries brings a greater level of experience despite his lack of F1 starts, the presence of Albon means a move for a rookie is not off the table, especially if Williams wants to beat Red Bull to the punch of being the next team to get an American on the grid.

And Sargeant has been embedded into the Williams set-up at races whenever the schedule allows, including this weekend in Singapore where he has been appearing alongside Latifi at partner events while Albon recuperates. He’ll then spend the rest of the weekend juggling commitments with access to engineering briefings and team meetings that de Vries won’t get unless he’s racing.

There are outsiders who have more F1 experience than both, although Nico Hulkenberg didn’t seem to warm to the chance at returning to the team he started his career with when he was losing his full-time ride, and doesn’t bring the same commercial potential that Sargeant or even de Vries could.

It’s a similar story when you consider Antonio Giovinazzi, who showed some solid spells of performance at Alfa Romeo but is still struggling to convince a Ferrari-powered team to give him a race seat after a year in Formula E. Another Ferrari-linked driver – Mick Schumacher – brings a great surname but has seen his stock start to drop at Haas and neither fits the bill of intriguing rookie nor established name.

Daniel Ricciardo can certainly lay claim to the latter, but seems set on taking a sabbatical and hoping a more competitive ride comes his way at the end of 2023 rather than keeping himself on the grid at all costs next year.

So Williams is left without an obvious fit to replace Latifi, even if there are multiple worthy candidates that can be linked to the vacancy.

There’s no obvious weak choice from all of those mentioned, but the biggest gamble would certainly be the most exciting, and since I have used up all the names I could think of, thank goodness this article is done.....and I'm outta here!