Unbeknownst to Alpine, Piastri had already signed an agreement with the Woking-based team for the 2023 F1 season. This led to the case going to the Contract Recognition Board which ruled the case in favor of McLaren.
Zak Brown was questioned on the case and was asked why the team had stayed quiet until the proceedings ended. Brown aimed a dig at Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer and said that until things became clear, it didn’t make sense for him to come out and say anything. He also said that the comments made by Otmar almost looked silly in hindsight and that maybe he should have approached things better. The McLaren CEO said:
He further added,
McLaren made itself oblivious to the noise around it
Brown talked about how McLaren had decided not to say too many things until everything was resolved. He also mentioned how the team was getting accused of poaching drivers from other teams in both F1 and IndyCar and even got messages from the fans. He said,
For the 2023 F1 season, Oscar Piastri will replace Daniel Ricciardo as the second driver alongside Lando Norris. Poaching or not, McLaren has certainly found itself a great driver pair.
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