Alpine vows to close contract loopholes after failed deal with Oscar Piastri
Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer said the French outfit has learned valuable lessons from its failed dealings with Oscar Piastri last summer and vows to eliminate the loopholes that caused its issues.
The young gun switched his allegiance to McLaren for 2023, a move that was contested by Alpine.
The team believed it had a valid contract to keep Piastri within its ranks, especially after he was promoted to a race seat for 2023 following Fernando Alonso's departure.
However, the case was arbitrated by the FIA's Contract Recognition Board, which sided with Piastri, whose contract with McLaren was deemed valid.
"Species that cooperate survive. Species that are selfish become extinct," Szafnauer told Germany's Motorsport-Total, showing the bitterness in the Alpine camp over Piastri's perceived lack of loyalty and integrity.
For Szafnauer, a lesson learned the hard way is a lesson learned for a lifetime. "In the future, we will treasure these lessons and make sure that we eliminate the loopholes that allowed Oscar to get out of the contract we thought we had with him," he added.
Alpine's 2023 line-up will consist of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, with the team set to unveil its 2023 A523 contender on February 16.