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Four Years On: How Oscar Piastri’s Infamous Tweet Reshaped the F1 Grid
Four years after Oscar Piastri rejected Alpine’s contract announcement, the legal fallout and McLaren’s rise remain a defining moment in modern Formula 1 driver market history.
By Sanne Vermeer - 2026-08-02T17:05:00.000Z - 2 min read
Four years after a single social media post upended the Formula 1 driver market, the fallout from Oscar Piastri’s refusal to race for Alpine remains a defining moment in modern paddock history. On 2 August 2022, the French outfit issued a press release naming the young Australian alongside Esteban Ocon for the 2023 campaign. Hours later, Piastri publicly rejected the announcement, declaring online that Alpine had acted without his consent and that he had not signed any agreement to drive for them.
The chain of events was set off late in July 2022 when Sebastian Vettel announced his impending retirement from Formula 1. On 1 August, Aston Martin unexpectedly confirmed Fernando Alonso as Vettel's successor, leaving Alpine blindsided by the Spaniard's sudden exit. Having anticipated retaining Alonso on a shorter deal while preparing Piastri for a future seat, Alpine reacted by hurriedly announcing the rookie as his replacement.
Alpine’s haste exposed a fatal flaw in its contractual position. Unknown to the team's management, Piastri and his manager Mark Webber had already secured a deal with McLaren on 4 July, nearly a month before Alpine's public statement. With two teams claiming rights to the same driver, the dispute was referred to the FIA Contract Recognition Board for formal adjudication.
On 2 September 2022, the Contract Recognition Board issued a unanimous ruling declaring McLaren's agreement as the only valid contract for 2023. The verdict left Alpine without its prize prospect and forced Woking to finalize arrangements for Piastri to replace Daniel Ricciardo. To fill the sudden vacancy at Enstone, Alpine eventually signed Pierre Gasly from AlphaTauri.
The contrasting fortunes for both organisations following the ruling could hardly have been sharper. Alpine dropped from fourth in the 2022 constructors' standings to sixth in 2023 and ninth in 2024, culminating in the eventual abandonment of its works Renault power unit programme. Conversely, Piastri joined forces with Lando Norris at McLaren to establish one of the grid's most formidable line-ups.
Now 25, Piastri has compiled nine grand prix wins and six pole positions while playing a key role in McLaren securing back-to-back constructors' championships in 2024 and 2025. Alonso, whose initial contract move triggered the entire saga, continues to race for Aston Martin in 2026 at the age of 45. Four years on, that mid-summer contract standoff stands as a monumental turning point for three separate teams.