Caporegime
They can stop him working for anyone else.
Last edited:
Motorsport Off Topic Thread
- Thread starter Shimmy
- Start date
They can stop him working for anyone else.
Soldato
Rather depends upon the contracts though. Cast your minds back to when Button had to buy himself out of a contract. Jeez go away for a bit come back and all hell's broken lose.
Soldato
One angle being that Piastri option ended on 31st just before Alonso announced, Piastri manager is Weber who is good friends with Alonso. Zak Brown seen talking with Weber at London eprix.
So here goes, Weber/Zak wanted Piastri to McLaren, Alonso cooperated by throwing Alpine a dummy.
So here goes, Weber/Zak wanted Piastri to McLaren, Alonso cooperated by throwing Alpine a dummy.
Soldato
So why would Alonso either want to get Piastri out of Alpine, or to simply screw Alpine over?
I’d love it if he showed up and asked for a game / watched a match.
Soldato
Alpine PR Team and Otmar Szafnauer are really giving the Ferrari Strategy Team a run for their money in the whose worst at their job stakes this season 
So, to sum it all up:
Vettel announces retirement (only a few weeks after saying in a press conference he wanted to stay at AM and they were talking)
Alonso gets fed up of Otmar Szafnauer and Alpine wanting a 1+1 option deal whereas Alonso wanted 2 years fixed.
On hearing Vettel is retiring Alonso hot foots it to Papa Stroll who offers him a favourable deal for two years there and then.
Aston Martin announce Alonso on social media on Monday morning surprising everyone including Otmar himself who hadn't heard from Alonso since the end of the Hungarian GP.
Obvious choice for Alpine Oscar Piastri seems the obvious choice but rumours that Alpine's option on him expired midnight July 31st abound.
Piastri's Manager, one Mark 'Multi 2-1 Seb, Multi 2-1' Webber has clearly been chatting to other teams as despite Alonso's warp speed signing these things are rarely something arranged in hours, never mind minutes.
Alpine, either forgetting Piastri's option expiration or simply not knowing about it (who reads the fine print anyway?), announce him as their driver for next season on Social Media.
Piastri then announces on social media that he has not signed for Alpine, doesn't know why they've announced him and plainly states he will NOT be driving for Alpine
This clearly indicates (to me anyway) that McLaren think they have signed him for next season, believing him to be a free agent. And despite having multiple drivers signed won't be moving anyone into their F1 team that they currently have signed up.
I think that's everything?
That is without going into McLaren, Chip Ganassi and Alex Palou's situation, eerily similar to Piastri, Alpine and McLaren's current situation but that's Indycar and the main topic is F1.
FWIW McLaren & Zak Brown have said previously they wouldn't be paying any release clauses or money to free drivers from contracts.
Vettel announces retirement (only a few weeks after saying in a press conference he wanted to stay at AM and they were talking)
Alonso gets fed up of Otmar Szafnauer and Alpine wanting a 1+1 option deal whereas Alonso wanted 2 years fixed.
On hearing Vettel is retiring Alonso hot foots it to Papa Stroll who offers him a favourable deal for two years there and then.
Aston Martin announce Alonso on social media on Monday morning surprising everyone including Otmar himself who hadn't heard from Alonso since the end of the Hungarian GP.
Obvious choice for Alpine Oscar Piastri seems the obvious choice but rumours that Alpine's option on him expired midnight July 31st abound.
Piastri's Manager, one Mark 'Multi 2-1 Seb, Multi 2-1' Webber has clearly been chatting to other teams as despite Alonso's warp speed signing these things are rarely something arranged in hours, never mind minutes.
Alpine, either forgetting Piastri's option expiration or simply not knowing about it (who reads the fine print anyway?), announce him as their driver for next season on Social Media.
Piastri then announces on social media that he has not signed for Alpine, doesn't know why they've announced him and plainly states he will NOT be driving for Alpine
This clearly indicates (to me anyway) that McLaren think they have signed him for next season, believing him to be a free agent. And despite having multiple drivers signed won't be moving anyone into their F1 team that they currently have signed up.
I think that's everything?
That is without going into McLaren, Chip Ganassi and Alex Palou's situation, eerily similar to Piastri, Alpine and McLaren's current situation but that's Indycar and the main topic is F1.
FWIW McLaren & Zak Brown have said previously they wouldn't be paying any release clauses or money to free drivers from contracts.
Soldato
Having left this thread for a while, I was half expecting to see Lewis was now retiring... A crazy day in the world of F1!
Soldato
Out of all the pages to do this, literally the one less than a mile away. Brilliant
Man of Honour
Sounds about right.... to be fair I don't think any of their Indycar Drivers had a real chance for 2023 anyway - it was only ever going to be O'Ward (an actual contracted McLaren Arrow SP driver) or Herta (Development Driver) and neither have a superlicense.
McLaren could have course be talking ******** about not "paying" for anyone - if you were offered Piastri free on a plate would you say no just because you had to pay off Ricciardo? I mean he's supposed to be the next big talent, if I was McLaren I'd be getting him signed up because imo it inevitable that if Red Bull or Mercedes come calling for 2024 that Lando Norris will be off (pending clauses, etc)
Soldato
Haas need a bigger black felt tip budget.
Commissario
Could McLaren run three drivers/cars? Is that even allowed in the regulations?
I believe O'Ward does have enough points for a Superlicence, just thanks to some frozen Indylights points that would have expired if not for COVID. He's likely for a decent finishing position in Indycar too so that should get him over the line. Herta is well short, basically having only every done Indycar and indylights and even then his indylights season wasn't valid due to the size of the field I believe.
No. They will be running a three car team in Indycar where it is permitted, for O'Ward, Rossi and supposedly Palou, pending his court case of course. I suspect Rosenqvist will be their FE driver.
Man of Honour
My understanding was that O'Ward needed to finish in the top 4 to get his super-license - which looked unlikely a few races ago - he is however sitting in 5th now and had a decent run, I still don't think we'll see him in F1 though next year
I can't see it for next year it's true, but if McLaren do want someone from indycar it's between Herta and O'Ward I'd say. Herta has a lesser chance due to needing many more Superlicence points.