The Formula 1 world was stunned when Oscar Piastri, one of the sport’s most promising talents, rejected Alpine’s offer and signed with McLaren for the 2023 season, all before he even turned a wheel in a Grand Prix. Now, former Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer is breaking his silence and making it crystal clear—he had nothing to do with the fiasco that rocked the Enstone-based team.
Szafnauer’s Defense: ‘I Had Nothing to Do With It’
Szafnauer, who joined Alpine in March 2022 after departing Aston Martin, claims that the entire Piastri contract debacle occurred long before he arrived. According to Szafnauer, Alpine had secured Piastri’s signature in November 2021, but the crucial catch was that the contract wasn’t properly executed.
“I remember that I had nothing to do with not signing Oscar Piastri correctly,” Szafnauer stated, pointing out that he wasn’t even at Alpine when the agreement was mishandled. “That was done in November, and I started in March. In November 2021, when the Piastri contract was signed, it was not actually signed correctly.”
Szafnauer further explained that when he joined, he was unaware of the Australian driver’s contract situation. He insists that Alpine’s leadership failed to send the paperwork correctly, rendering the agreement legally invalid. This blunder gave Piastri the green light to seek opportunities elsewhere, eventually leading to his high-profile switch to McLaren.
The Fine Print: Alpine’s Costly Mistake
Shedding light on the specifics, Szafnauer disclosed that Piastri’s junior contract with Alpine included an option for the team to promote him to a Formula 1 seat. However, Alpine failed to activate this option within the two-week window stipulated in the contract. This failure left the door wide open for the talented 23-year-old, who had previously enjoyed Alpine’s support throughout his F2 days, to walk away and join their rival.
“Alpine had an option to have him as a Formula 1 driver, but that contract was never executed. There was a two-week period in which it could be done, and it was not done,” Szafnauer admitted, laying bare the mismanagement at the heart of the team.
An Embarrassment for Alpine and Renault’s Motorsports Division
The fallout from Piastri’s departure was an embarrassment for Alpine, highlighting deep-rooted issues within the upper echelons of Renault’s motorsports leadership. The French outfit, left scrambling to fill the seat, was forced to turn to Pierre Gasly, who had been under the Red Bull umbrella.
The Piastri saga wasn’t just a contractual blunder; it was a public relations disaster that exposed the cracks within the organization’s decision-making structure. Despite backing Piastri through his junior career, the team’s inability to secure his services when it mattered most spoke volumes about the dysfunction at the top.
The Verdict: Szafnauer Walks Away Unscathed—But What About Alpine?
Szafnauer’s revelations have sparked fresh debate over the effectiveness of Alpine’s management. By distancing himself from the incident and placing the blame squarely on the organization’s processes before his tenure, Szafnauer attempts to emerge unscathed. However, the damage to Alpine’s reputation is undeniable, and the French team must now rebuild from the blunder that cost them one of the brightest young talents in the sport.
The Piastri debacle serves as a reminder of how critical attention to detail is in Formula 1—where even the smallest contractual oversight can lead to a seismic shift in the driver market. As Alpine looks to the future with Pierre Gasly in their ranks, they’ll need to tighten their internal operations if they hope to avoid a repeat of such a costly mistake.
