In early August, following the announcement that Aston Martin had signed Fernando Alonso for 2023, Alpine issued a statement saying its reserve driver Piastri would move to a starting seat next year.
But Alpine’s ad did not carry any quotes from Piastri, who later posted a message on social media denying he had signed a contract or would race for Alpine next year. Piastri actually has an agreement with McLaren, who confirmed the departure of Daniel Ricciardo earlier this week.
Speaking about Piastri’s announcement this Saturday at the Belgian GP, Otmar Szafnauer claimed that he told him of his promotion to the reigning F2 champion during a simulator session that Monday after the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“I told Oscar before the announcement was made,” Szafnauer revealed.
“Turns out he was in the simulator, so I went to find him and he smiled and was grateful when I told him. We made the announcement very quickly.”
Szafnauer added that the press release came without a quote from Piastri because the team “reacted quickly and didn’t want to go back and forth with his management” after losing Fernando Alonso.
Asked how he found out that Oscar Piastri would not be racing for Alpine next year, Szafnauer replied: “We found out on social media.”
Otmar Szafnauer, director of the Alpine F1 equipment
F1’s Contract Recognition Board (CRB) will rule on the Piastri case on Monday. Szafnauer expressed his confidence that Alpine’s contract will be valid, revealing that the agreement was established as early as November last year.
“The duration of the contract is until 2024 with an option at the end of 2023,” Szafnauer said. “I’ll just say those things, there’s a lot more. Like I said, I don’t like to talk about the details.”
Szafnauer found it “disappointing” that Piastri did not follow through on his “promise” to ride for the team if offered the opportunity, but said their relationship “has not faltered”.
Piastri is not with Alpine at Spa-Francorchamps, as planned, but is doing simulator runs at the team’s Enstone factory.
Following the board’s ruling on Monday, Szafnauer and Alpine will assess their options and begin “looking at who will fill the vacant seat” for 2023.
“The good news is we now have three races in a row,” Szafnauer said.
“I think we should wait until Monday or Tuesday, and then look at our situation with good information to make those decisions.”
