ANGRY Szafnauer REVEALS Alpine Driving Options For 2023 After Blaming Piastri and Alonso

The 2022 summer break will go into history as one of the most entertaining. It has been a long time ago that so much drama unfolded while the drivers are not even racing. After Alonso’s announcement on the first of August, Alpine was quick to announce Oscar Piastri as their new driver. Despite a big announcement from Alpine, Piastri sent a tweet out where he stated that he did not sign a contract and therefore will not be racing for Alpine next year. This led to a massive shock as this further fuelled the rumours that Piastri will be replacing Daniel Ricciardo next year.

Otman Szafnauer, who first had to take in Alonso’s unexpected move to Aston Martin followed by the Piastri saga, said in a recent interview that he still believes Piastri will drive for Alpine next year, but if it happens that he won’t be an Alpine driver, he can expect multiple claims. What is even more troubling for Alpine is that the FIA Contract Recognition Board looked at Piastri’s contracts with both teams and declared them both valid! As a direct response to the FIA’s decision, Szafnauer said that it there is a 90% change that they will go to the High Court.

Szafnauer continued by saying: "If the Contract Recognition Board eventually says that only the contract with Alpine is valid and Piastri then thinks: 'That's nice, but I'm not going to drive for them. I'll wait a year', then we'll fight on for compensation. We haven’t calculated the total investment made. So in the event of a ruling declaring the contract between McLaren and Piastri valid, Alpine will appeal and we will calculate the total investment made in him. There is only one option for us and that is that Piastri drives for Alpine next year”.

Although Alpine is still set on contracting Piastri for next year, Szafnauer recently said that he has been contacted by fourteen drivers to take Alonso’s seat, but that they narrowed it down to just four drivers. But what drivers does he talk about? Does Alpine still have a good chance of signing Piastri and what does Alonso and Flavio Briatore have to do with the Piastri saga? Let’s find out.

#f1 #oscarpiastri #f1news
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[theracingguru]

Who do you think will take Alonso’s seat next year?

[rolandmdill]

My preferred outcome would be Piastri in the McLaren constantly outpaced by Ricciardo in the Alpine.

[Sepacaju]

Swapping Ricardo by Piastri looks the most reasonable move.

[ScottAndrewPersonal]

It would be interesting if Ricciardo wanted to go back to Alpine, planned with Piastri, and Webber, Alpine and Briotori were colluding to get lots of cash out of Mclaren in different directions... F1 wouldn't be F1 without weird out there possibilities actually coming true... lol It's fun to think about. I hope Ricciardo gets back to the front with Alpine. I've raced cars where a small geometry change turned the car into an undrivable hunk of metal, and something else made it amazing.

[The_MostHigh]

The FIA contracts recognition board have verified that Mclarens contract with Piastri is legitimate and there is no appeals process, Alpine can try and take this to other courts but this has never been done with F1 drivers before and as the CRB have already made a ruling might not even be possible.

[EerjkMcRae]

Alpine really is just wasting their time.
Why would you want a guy who doesn't want to race for you? Especially if the same driver says of he's forced to drive for Alpine he just won't race at all.
It's a lose lose for Alpine.
They should count their losses and find a suitable replacement

[rowanmelville]

Alonso knew that 1+1 was bait, they'd have found a way out of offering the second year nomatter what, Alpine knew Piastri wasn't going to sit around for another year.

[thefitguy]

Imagine: Daniel finds back his form & channelises his frustration to win 7 podiums out of 9 remaining races! 🤙

[andrewsots]

Alpine & McLaren should just negotiate a straight swap.Would save a lot of legal mucking around, Piastri for Riccardo. It's as simple as that !

[Nicolas-dnul]

According to the media, they say that Fernando and Piastri's contracts ended on June 30, so they could negotiate freely.

[heathcarter]

Ricciardo is the only choice, proven winner if given a car and team backing him and Ralfs comments are purely family based not capability based.

[NemXX]

I think Ricciardo and Schumacher are the best options.
I'd love to see what Mick could do with a better car.

[-yf]

What about Christian Lundgaard, now in Indy car but is Alpine Academy driver?

[osva]

It feels a little like Alonsos Mangager, Alonso himself, and Mark Webber have a financial investment in Piastri and want to cash in on it by having him sign to mclaren, although alonso may not have a financial investment in this scheme but he does play maybe the most important role by switching to Aston Martin abruptly

[ricogriek]

Good video!

Ricciardo is the most likely option in my opinion! I don’t think Piastri will go back anymore.

Mick Schumacher is not good enough and Theo Pourchaire is too young.

[ancreh]

Alpine should and would just try to salvage some compensation for Piastri's antics.
For driver, I would prefef Drugovich and then Riccardo and Bottas

[TheJcman]

Best sporting option: Gasly. Best marketing option: Schumacher

[dasmoools]

They can use as many intimidation tactics as they want. This is literally text book Renault. They're no doubt applying pressure to his family as well depending on a few financial age economic things.

They never change. They had a gem. Someone whom is clearly a very talented young driver. Yet instead of abiding by their side of the contract, they expected him to ignore the fact that they not only took his seat and gave it to Alonso, they sidelined him.

They made it so he couldn't get onto the grid with any other team. That was until the deadline in his contract had passed. July 2022. Which then releases him from his contractual obligations with Alpine.

It doesn't void the contract, it just allows Piastri to now look elsewhere. If they hadn't signed Alonso, he would've been locked in with them, if they hadn't ignored his contracts deadline, again, they would've had one hell of an up an comer.

He's a sort of talent that only comes along every now and then. You can say the F3 and F2 grid wasn't as competitive. However that doesn't mean you can just ignore the fact that he utterly dominated the points and become the F3 WDC in his first season and then did the exact same thing in his first F2 season.

He's the sort of driver that min maxes to the enth degree. Calculative and Methodical. Yet at the same time, he's willing to take risks at the right moment when it's by far in his favour.

They should've put him in the seat with Ocon. Or Heck.. Alonso. Think of Piastri learning from one of F1s greats, first hand abs competing with him. That would've no doubt been the push he needs to truly start off strong in 2021.

But no, they wasted his time and they wasted their chance at a potential future WDC. Thus, there isn't Jack shit they can do. Its all sleepy intimidation tactics and methods of getting the French fans to attack him.

They doing a Renault, fitting right? If they can't have him, then they'll try to destroy his career. They're pathetic and worthless tyrants. Rossi is the reason why, he's a real piece of crap, hardly worth being called a human being with the stuff he has done to his employees and to F2 drivers in the past.

He has a habit of destroying F2 drivers careers for not wanting to drive for him. A really petty and pathetic man.

[kjlonline]

Ricciardo will occupy the Alpine seat next year. They can get him at a discounted rate for 2023 with the view of paying more in 2024 if performances are good.

[SandeepKumar-gpsf]

It's highly unlikely but I wish to see Hulkenberg back in action. He is a good fit and his experience counts