Alpine’s hunt for a Fernando Alonso replacement ahead of the 2023 season was complicated to say the least, with their number one candidate signing a contract with a rival behind their backs. Academy driver Oscar Piastri was announced as Esteban Ocon’s partner for 2023 but the Australian sensationally joined McLaren after the Contract Recognition Board
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McLaren will be replacing one Australian with another in 2023, as Oscar Piastri is drafted in to replace Daniel Ricciardo who is returning to Red Bull to serve as the team’s third driver. Piastri was initially announced as an Alpine driver for next season over the winter break, forcing the 21-year-old to release a statement
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Alpine have been on a steady rise since the re-brand of Renault at the start of 2021, with the team securing fifth and fourth place finishes in their first two seasons in the sport. A driver pairing of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon had proved a formidably but toxic partnership in their two years together
MoreIt is very rare in Formula 1 that a young driver rejects the opportunity to race for a team who so desperately want to acquire his services, especially when they are already contracted to the outfit. This happened over the summer break in 2022, when Oscar Piastri took to social media to reject Alpine’s statement
MoreA year of Formula 1 racing would not be complete without the infamous ‘silly season’, where out of the blue driver moves cause a domino effect of unpredictable transfers, much to the excitement of fans. Fernando Alonso was the trigger in 2022, as he announced that he would be leaving Alpine for Aston Martin next
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Alpine’s 2023 driver pairing of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly may look like one of the strongest on the grid, however, Gasly was not the team’s first choice replacement for the Aston Martin bound Fernando Alonso. 2021 Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri was signed to the team on a young driver contract, and Alpine believed
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The Oscar Piastri saga surrounded one of the most complex and controversial driver moves in recent times, as both McLaren and Alpine believed that they had legally binding contracts with the Australian. Alpine announced their young driver as Esteban Ocon’s partner for 2023, however the Australian shocked the paddock hours later by releasing a statement
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Ross Brawn became an integral part of Formula 1 back in 2017, when the 68-year-old stepped up to become F1’s Managing Director of Motorsport, and has contributed to some of the most beneficial changes in the sport. The Brit was heavily involved in the major regulation changes at the start of the 2022 season, which
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Alpine had created a roadmap for Oscar Piastri to become a roaring success with the team, involving a loan to Williams before taking Fernando Alonso’s seat in the future. Alonso’s shock departure to Aston Martin forced the team to skip the Williams loan and appoint Piastri as Esteban Ocon’s partner for 2023, until the Australian
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Fernando Alonso sent the Formula 1 ‘silly season’ into overdrive when he announced that he would be departing Alpine for Aston Martin next year. This shock move triggered a domino effect that saw Alpine replace the Spaniard with Pierre Gasly, and AlphaTauri then filling their vacancy with Nyck de Vries from Mercedes. Gasly was not
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