Oscar Piastri has returned to talking about the summer when he signed his first Formula 1 contract. In 2022, we all remember the “Piastri Gate,” when Alpine announced that the young driver would debut in Formula 1 with their colors, unaware that the Australian had already signed a contract with McLaren.
Initially, the Enstone team had focused on Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso, but when the latter surprised everyone by signing with Aston Martin, the French team had to scramble. Upon hearing the news, Oscar Piastri exposed the situation on his social media, categorically denying Alpine’s announcement and embarrassing the leadership of the team where he had grown through the academy.
Alpine had given the impression that they had an option on the Australian, which they would exercise for the following season when they issued the press release. However, McLaren also believed they had a valid contract with Oscar Piastri, and the case was submitted to the Formula 1 Contract Recognition Board (CRB), where the British team prevailed.
The then team principal of Alpine, Otmar Szafnauer, recently spoke about that summer on the High Performance podcast and explained what really happened between the team and Piastri: “In November 2021, there was a two-week window during which the contract could have been signed, but it wasn’t done,” said the 60-year-old, referring to the expired contract clause.
He then added: “At the CRB, where Alpine lost because the documents weren’t correct, a press release was issued with my image,” emphasizing that during that period, he was not leading the team, so the blame for the oversight was placed on him.
However, what’s notable now is the place where Oscar Piastri signed his first contract with McLaren, as the two-time Grand Prix winner revealed the unusual turn of events: “I was in a service station parking lot in the UK. Not the most glamorous place to sign an F1 contract, but it was still a very, very special feeling.”
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