Oscar Piastri mentioned Tuesday he will not drive for Alpine subsequent season, mere hours after the System One workforce promoted the Australian reserve driver to switch Fernando Alonso.
Alonso shocked the workforce Monday when he knowledgeable Alpine he’ll transfer to Aston Martin subsequent 12 months. Alpine wanted simply in the future to announce it will promote its 21-year-old budding expertise to race alongside Esteban Ocon in 2023.
However the Melbourne native mentioned that is not occurring.
“I perceive that, with out my settlement, Alpine F1 have put out a press launch late this afternoon that I’m driving for them subsequent 12 months. That is fallacious and I’ve not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I can’t be driving for Alpine subsequent 12 months,” he wrote on Twitter.
Alpine’s information launch had not included any feedback from Piastri. There was hypothesis that the present F2 champion was engaged on a greater take care of one other workforce.
In Alpine’s announcement, workforce principal Otmar Szafnauer mentioned Piastri is “a vivid and uncommon expertise” who’s “greater than able to taking the step as much as System 1.”
Aston Martin on Monday signed the 41-year-old Alonso, a two-time world champion, to switch Sebastian Vettel, who introduced his retirement final week. Alonso’s contract with Alpine was ending this season.
It has been a busy six days of F1 “foolish season” that opened forward of the Hungarian Grand Prix with Vettel asserting he’ll retire on the finish of the 12 months. Alpine mentioned Alonso had not given the workforce any indication he was leaving as late as Sunday night time after the race, and the Piastri promotion was rapidly introduced. Williams, in the meantime, mentioned American driver Logan Sargeant will make his F1 debut when he runs the primary apply session at america Grand Prix later this 12 months. Sargeant, a present F2 driver from Florida, would be the first American to take part in an F1 weekend since Alexander Rossi in 2015.
Alpine mentioned Piastri has already been present process “an intensive and complete coaching program” this season to “put together him for the following huge step” into F1.
“As our reserve driver he has been uncovered to the workforce on the monitor, manufacturing facility and testing the place he has proven the maturity, promise and velocity to make sure his promotion to our second seat alongside Esteban,” Szafnauer mentioned. “Collectively, we consider the duo will give us the continuity we have to obtain our longterm objective of difficult for wins and championships.”
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