The contract recognition board (CRB) has ruled that Oscar Piastri can join McLaren next season after Alpine’s protestations.
Sebastian Vettel sent the driver market into a frenzy ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix when he announced his retirement at the end of the season.
Alpine’s Fernando Alonso had been negotiating with the team over a new deal, and he wanted to stick around beyond the end of next season.
Team principal, Otmar Szafnauer, was only willing to give the 41-year-old one more year due to his age though, so they could not come to terms.
READ: Alpine blamed for not honouring ‘promise’ made to Oscar Piastri
After Vettel’s confirmation, Alonso headed to the Aston Martin motorhome in Budapest, and put pen to paper on a deal that will see him stay with Lawrence Stroll’s team until the end of 2024.
Szafnauer was taken aback by that news, as he had been told by the double world champion that he had not signed with anyone else.
One day after Aston Martin’s announcement that the Spaniard will be joining them, Alpine announced that they had promoted Piastri to a race seat alongside Esteban Ocon.
However, while the French side were waiting for Alonso, they could not give Piastri a loan deal with anyone else in case they needed him for 2023.
Further adding to the conundrum was the fact that Alpine wanted to get Piastri in the car in the next couple of years, so Alonso could not be given a longer contract.
As a result, Piastri went to McLaren to negotiate a deal for 2023, so when Alpine made their announcement, the 21-year-old took to Twitter to deny it.
Szafnauer questioned the reserve driver’s “integrity,” and suggested that he was after “compensation” for the money that had been put into his junior career.
The Australian won Formula 3 and Formula 2 as part of the Renault turned Alpine academy, and joined Alpine as a reserve driver this year.
READ: Daniel Ricciardo thinks Oscar Piastri has ‘guaranteed spot’ in Formula 1
The contract recognition board went over the reigning F2 champion’s contract with McLaren this week, and they have concluded that it is final.
The Woking-based side have confirmed that Piastri is to replace Daniel Ricciardo, who will leave at the end of this season.
Alpine have decided not to appeal the decision.