The jury decided Alpine lost and McLaren won. Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri is allowed to change the racing team and will drive for McLaren from 2023. Alpine, on the other hand, needs a replacement because Fernando Alonso is leaving the team. Mick Schumacher is already being advertised there.
After the contract quarrel surrounding Oscar Piastri, the top talent will drive for the McLaren Formula 1 team in the future. The traditional English racing team confirmed the Australian as a regular driver from 2023 after clarification by the arbitration board for contract disputes in motorsport. The 21-year-old will succeed his compatriot Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren and will receive a contract for several years. "I'm very excited to be making my Formula 1 debut for such a prestigious team as McLaren and I'm very grateful for the opportunity that was offered to me," said Piastri, successive Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion, after his contract farce.
The young racer was announced in a summer posse by Alpine as a regular driver for next year. However, the Australian immediately contradicted this statement because he preferred to switch to McLaren. There, the Alpine reserve driver will be Lando Norris' teammate, who has a contract until the end of 2025.
Alpine, the Renault works team, had trained Piastri for years, wanted to promote him to regular driver next year and insisted on a valid contract. However, Piastri said he wasn't committed to Alpine, so the CRB had to decide. Following the verdict, Alpine said "we consider the matter closed and will announce our driver line-up for 2023 in due course". The team is looking for a successor for Fernando Alonso and colleagues for Esteban Ocon.
On the one hand, Pierre Gasly from Alpha Tauri, on the other hand, Mick Schumacher is being traded for this new cockpit. He has not yet received a contract for 2023 from Haas. Ocon had recently confirmed that he was committed to Schumacher's commitment to his racing team - without having any influence on the decision. "People know that if I had anything to say my choice would be Mick if he didn't have anything next year," Ocon said. "He's a great guy and could do very well if he had a competitive car."
Schumacher himself did not want to talk about contractual matters this week, nor did he comment on the supposedly imminent departure from the Ferrari Academy. "I prefer to talk about things like that behind the scenes," he said. Haas team boss Günther Steiner confirmed that no decision had been made. "Everything is open," he said, "and we are in no hurry. Why should we make a hasty decision that we will regret later? I have to be clear: what is the best solution for the team and for the future."
In addition, team owner Gene Haas is in Zandvoort, and he will also travel to Monza for the next race. Talks about the candidates would therefore "begin but not end" in Zandvoort. The Dane Kevin Magnussen has already been confirmed as a regular driver for 2023, while Schumacher's contract expires after two years at the end of this season. "He deserves a seat, he's better than people think," said Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel again for his buddy. It would be a pity if Schumacher would not get a cockpit. Apparently, Schumacher has at best outsider chances with the French.
