Formula One 2022: Oscar Piastri slammed as ungracious and ungrateful by former Alpine boss

An F1 boss has unleashed a brutal review of Aussie rookie Oscar Piastri’s arrogant behaviour in the contract saga that consumed the sport and ultimately ousted Daniel Ricciardo.

MONZA, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 09: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and McLaren is pictured as Formula 1 holds a minutes silence in mourning of Queen Elizabeth II prior to practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on September 09, 2022 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi has unleashed a scathing review of wantaway Formula 1 rookie Oscar Piastri claiming “there is no excuse for Oscar’s behaviour” as the fallout over the Aussie’s defection to McLaren continues.

Rossi pulled no punches in a brutal interview with auto motor und sport, lifting the lid on Alpine’s contract dilemmas with Fernando Alonso and Piastri that ultimately led to neither driver being on the team for 2023.

The Frenchman claimed Alpine “really wanted to keep” Alonso however the team and driver could not agree on the length of a contract extension, which ultimately led to the two-time world champion seeking a fresh start with Aston Martin.

“We couldn’t commit for more than two years because we had a three-year option with Piastri. In the long term, it was always clear to us that we had to focus on the future. And the future was called Oscar,” Rossi said.

Then came the Piastri saga, which ignited after the 21-year-old Australian publicly rebuffed Alpine’s announcement that he would take Alonso’s vacated seat in 2023.

Rossi revealed the team had agreed a deal with Williams for Piastri to drive for the Grove-based outfit in 2023 and 2024 before returning to Alpine to take over from Alonso, claiming the Aussie “will be the most prepared driver in Formula 1 history” thanks to his time in the junior academy program.

“We kept all our promises and wanted to present him with a contract. There was no need to rewrite the November contract as all agreements were executed as planned and the new contract for 2023 would then replace the old one,” Rossi said.

Oscar Piastri has copped a brutal

“However, he did not want to sign the agreement. That’s why we couldn’t register a contract with the arbitral tribunal. In a way, we were trapped.”

Months later the world would come to learn that Piastri had already signed a deal with McLaren on July 4 – two days before the team announced it wanted to continue with Daniel Ricciardo.

Rossi revealed Piastri told the team he “had an opportunity to drive for McLaren” which confused Alpine because Ricciardo was still under contract.

“Ricciardo was still there and McLaren announced on July 6 that they wanted to continue with Daniel. As it turned out later, Oscar had already signed with McLaren on July 4. That sounded very opaque to us,” Rossi said.

“So we still assumed he had an obligation to us. We felt like he owed us something after all the preparation. After all, there is such a thing as loyalty.”

And yet, the Alpine boss admitted Piastri had told the team “he was disappointed that we bet on Alonso and not on him straight away” and that he did not want to drive at Alpine if that road map remained.

“We told him he can be happy with what he’s getting,” Rossi said was the blunt reply.

“Fernando will definitely be racing at a much higher level than a rookie next year. Maybe Oscar would have got there at some point, but certainly not right away. This applies to 95 per cent of all drivers in the field.

“A bit more modesty and a sense of reality would have been required.

“He didn’t want to drive for Williams … George Russell raced there for three years and it didn’t do him any harm. Has he ever complained? Now that he’s driving for Mercedes, it’s clear that this training couldn’t have been that bad.”

Making matters worse for Alpine, Piastri’s defection was to McLaren with whom the team annually competes against for fourth in the constructors’ championship, behind established title contenders Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari.

He will pilot the papaya in 2023 tasked with outracing Esteban Ocon and whoever Alpine finds to fill Alonso’s vacated seat.

Those in the Aussie’s corner feel Alpine’s handling of the contract saga was unprofessional and riddled with errors, while Rossi and the team believe Piastri acted in bad faith given all that Alpine had given him.

“We showed commitment to him. Should he be a little grateful? Oscar would do well to be fast and deliver results next year,” Rossi mused.

“But even if he becomes the new Michael Schumacher, this story will stick with him forever. There is no excuse for Oscar’s behaviour. He chopped off the hand that fed him and played with us because some draft contracts weren’t submitted in time.

“When he says he didn’t feel the affection from us, then I wonder why we gave him all the opportunities to become as complete a Formula 1 driver as possible?

“The legally binding contracts were not watertight. We will learn from these mistakes, but we can still sleep well because we basically didn’t do anything wrong.”

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and McLaren is yet to confirm his future

HAAS REVEALS CHANCES OF RICCIARDO OUSTING YOUNG STAR

Haas principal Guenther Steiner has suggested Mick Schumacher’s seat could yet be Daniel Ricciardo’s next year – but the Australian will have to make his intentions known to the American team first.

Speaking to German news outlet RTL, Steiner said incumbent Schumacher had a “50-50” chance of staying at Haas next season and hinted that the team still had interest in Ricciardo, who remains without a seat after being ousted by McLaren a year early.

“In his situation, Daniel first has to decide for himself what he does,” Steiner told RTL.

“It makes little sense to persuade him to do something, he has to decide for himself.

“If he feels like it, he will certainly call, otherwise he will probably say, ‘I’ll do a sabbatical or something else’.”

Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has poured cold water on Daniel Ricciardo being chased by his team. Picture: AFP

Haas loomed as an early frontrunner for the eight-time race winner’s services, given Ricciardo’s high profile in the US.

The West Australian has also been linked with a swap to NASCAR, with Trackhouse boss Justin Marks reportedly keen on securing Ricciardo for his Project 91 venture.

But Ricciardo has been vocal in his desire to drive for a top team or potentially sit out the 2023 Formula One season and return the following year.

Haas is a perennial backmarker with a car that is unlikely to give Ricciardo what he needs to add to his eight race wins and 32 podium finishes, leaving him hesitant to sign-on.

A return to Alpine was also first floated – and that would loom as Ricciardo’s best chance at challenging from midfield – but it looks increasingly unlikely his former team will add the Aussie for next season.

Meanwhile, Williams has a vacant seat after confirming Nicholas Latifi would not continue into next year however the Grove-based team offers not much more than Haas and appears more interested in pursuing Dutch rookie Nyck De Vries.

Originally published as Formula One 2022: Oscar Piastri slammed as ungracious and ungrateful by former Alpine boss