Oscar Piastri tells the full story of his Alpine exit and McLaren signing, including FIA involvement. Oscar Piastri has revealed the behind-the-scenes details of his move from Alpine to McLaren.

Oscar Piastri has revealed the decisive moment of his career, opening up about the behind-the-scenes story of his move from Alpine to McLaren.

The Australian driver showed during the 2025 season that he has the talent required to fight for the Formula 1 world championship. The success he has enjoyed over the past two years has also been helped by a car capable of dominating the rest of the field. However, Piastri began his journey in the top category wearing Alpine colours, before eventually signing a definitive contract with McLaren.

In the junior categories, the driver of car number 81 claimed titles in both Formula 3 and Formula 2. The French team was the first to place its trust in him, offering him a reserve driver role for the 2022 season. It was during that year that Fernando Alonso decided to leave the team to join Aston Martin. Alpine announced Oscar Piastri as his replacement, but Oscar made it clear on social media that he would not be taking Fernando’s seat, as he had not signed any contract.

The move to McLaren as a full-time driver

Oscar Piastri turned down Alpine’s offer because McLaren already had a proposal on the table that guaranteed him a place on the grid. During an interview released on Formula 1’s official channels, the Australian still admitted that the year spent as a reserve driver with the French team was useful in helping him learn all the mechanisms of a race weekend.

As confirmed by Oscar Piastri himself, it was a difficult situation to manage. “There was a lot of noise around what was going on. I knew it was going to become a big story,” he said. Oscar also underlined the reason behind his decision. “There were reasons for doing it. It wasn’t just me wanting to announce to the world that I wasn’t going to race. I can now look back on it with a smile, but at the time it wasn’t very enjoyable,” he added.

The FIA’s intervention

The story surrounding Oscar Piastri’s contract with McLaren was examined by the FIA through the Contract Recognition Board. The CRB deals specifically with unusual contractual situations involving teams, in order to verify their validity. The Federation’s intervention ultimately ruled in favour of the Australian, despite a period that was far from easy for him.

“Obviously everything went to the CRB. The circumstances were in my favour, but it was another fairly tense moment,” Oscar admitted. In any case, the FIA confirmed the validity of his contract with the British team, allowing him to make his Formula 1 debut in 2023 alongside Lando Norris.