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Writer's pictureChristopher Costa
Nov 185 min read

The Piastri War: How McLaren Secured One of Formula 1’s Fastest Growing Talents


In only his second year on the grid, Oscar Piastri's talent is unquestionable with 359 points, nine podiums, and two wins after only 42 races in Formula 1 (“F1”). His instinctual adaptation to thrive in the chaos of F1 seemed like a natural outcome for those who kept a keen eye on Piastri's early career. Well accustomed to the top step of the podium, Piastri was one of the few drivers to win three consecutive open-seater championships, starting with the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup at 18 years old, followed by winning both the Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships in 2020 and 2021 respectively.[2] It is clear as to why both the McLaren F1Team (“McLaren”) and the BWT Alpine F1 Team (“Alpine”) battled to sign this rising talent.

 

 

Multiple Contracts


Throughout his junior career, Piastri developed within the Alpine Driver Academy, giving way to the natural assumption that he would eventually be promoted to the Alpine F1 team.[3] Yet, in a notorious tweet by the Australian driver in early 2022, the F1 world was turned upside down following Alpine’s press release announcing his promotion.[4]


 

Alpine was under the impression a signed "Terms Sheet" from 2021 constituted a "valid contract between Piastri and [themselves]" for two years.[6]  In reality, this was only a commencement for further negotiations, to which Alpine claimed they would present Piastri's management with official contracts to be exchanged within 10 days. However, these contracts were never provided to Piastri.[7]

 

Due to the regulations established by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (F.I.A.), F1's governing body, Piastri, would have been ineligible to receive the proper super license needed to race without a signed contract. With Alpine's legal team running out of options, they added the phrase "legally binding Heads of Terms" to the terms sheet without informing Piastri's management, hoping it would stand as a sufficient contract.[8] However, simply adding that phrase did nothing to substantiate the terms sheet as a legally binding contract, and amid Alpine's woes, McLaren took the opportunity to present Piastri with a "Driver Agreement" contingent upon him no longer having any contractual obligations to any other team.[9]

With both teams claiming to have a valid contract, the matter was presented to the F.I.A.'s Contract Recognition Board (C.R.B.), the entity responsible for overseeing contract validity and settling disputes that arise from negotiations.[10] The C.R.B. concluded that Alpine’s inability to serve Piastri with a valid legal contract left him no choice but to seek a race seat with an additional team.[11] The board acknowledged Piastri and McLaren had signed a contract in July of 2022 and its terms allowed Piastri to drive for McLaren in both the 2023 and 2024 season.[12] Ultimately, in a unanimous decision, the C.R.B. held that the contract between McLaren and Piastri was the only valid contract, and Alpine were liable for over $700,000 in attorney fees.[13]

 

McLaren’s Rise to the Top

 

In the wake of Red Bull Racing's recent dominance, McLaren is the first team to chip away at and surpass their lead.[14]Since their victory at the Miami Grand Prix in May of 2024, McLaren has been on a constant rise in the standings, with Piastri's most recent win at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix culminating in McLaren taking the lead of the F1 constructors' championship for the first time since 2014.[15] It is easy to overlook the fact that Piastri has yet to complete two full seasons in F1.[16] While others take years to find their footing, Piastri’s early success continues to validate why McLaren fought so hard to sign a talent that rare.[17] With only three races left in the season, Piastri will continue to be a critical factor McLaren will need to rely on in order to keep their lead over rivals Ferrari and Red bull.[18]

 

McLaren shows no sign of stopping with the upgraded MCL38 propelling Lando Norris to a nearly 30-second victory at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.[19] Meanwhile, Alpine has been on a steady decline, currently sitting 6th in the constructors with Piastri alone scoring over 300 points more than the Alpine team as a whole.[20] Success in F1 often comes with being in the right place at the right time, and the exponential rise of Piastri in F1, concurring with McLaren's resurgence, presents the perfect formula for success in the highest echelon of motorsport.

 


Chris Costa (staff writer) is a 1L from Suffern, New York. At Villanova, he is currently a 1L Representative for the Sports Law Society. Chris is a lifelong Giants fan and a die-hard McLaren F1 fan. Following graduation he hopes to work as either an in house counsel within the NFL or motorsport or as an agent in sports and entertainment.



[2] Seymour, M. (2023b, January 31). Oscar’s Awards: The stunning stats behind Piastri’s stellar junior career as he gets set for F1 debut: Formula 1®. Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/oscars-awards-the-stunning-stats-behind-piastris-stellar-junior-career-as-he.7huGxTApYv5H3Wu2PeqwBx

[3] Barretto, L. (2022, September 3). Exclusive: Piastri on joining McLaren, leaving Alpine and making his F1 debut: Formula 1®. Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/exclusive-piastri-on-joining-mclaren-leaving-alpine-and-making-his-f1-debut.5QCf7hwpoP2DwexQzKkVy7

[4] Valantine, H. (2024, August 2). The day Oscar Piastri sent formula 1 into epic Twitter Meltdown. PlanetF1. https://www.planetf1.com/features/oscar-piastri-tweet-mclaren-saga-anniversary

[5] Piastri, O. (2022, August 2). X.com. X (formerly Twitter). https://x.com/OscarPiastri/status/1554527452231262210?lang=en

[6] Exclusive: CRB ruling details Alpine failings in handling PIASTRI contract. RacingNews365. (2022, September 2). https://racingnews365.com/crb-ruling-details-alpine-failings-in-handling-piastri-contract

[7] Id.

[8] Id.

[9] Id.

[10] Decision of the contract recognition board 02/09/2022. Federation Internationale de l’Automobile. (2022, September 2). https://www.fia.com/news/decision-contract-recognition-board-02092022.

[11] © 2024 RacingNews365. All rights reserved. (2022, September 2). Exclusive: CRB ruling details Alpine failings in handling PIASTRI contract. RacingNews365. https://racingnews365.com/crb-ruling-details-alpine-failings-in-handling-piastri contract#:~:text=The%20CRB%20ruling%20details%20how,for%20an%20F1%20race%20seat%5D

[12] Decision of the contract recognition board 02/09/2022. Federation Internationale de l’Automobile. (2022, September 2). https://www.fia.com/news/decision-contract-recognition-board-02092022.

[13] Noble, J. (2022, September 4). The real story behind Oscar Piastri’s F1 move to McLaren. Motorsport.com. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/real-story-oscar-piastri-move-to-mclaren/10363181/.

[15] Id.

[16] Hunt, B. (2024, October 16). The talent spotters that moulded PIASTRI into an F1 winner. Autosport. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/the-talent-spotters-that-moulded-piastri-into-an-f1-winner/10663046/

[17] Id.

[18] Osten, P. V. (2024, October 29). McLaren plays up “Fantastic job” by Piastri in Mexico City. F1i.com. https://f1i.com/news/523173-mclaren-plays-up-fantastic-job-by-piastri-in-mexico-city.html

[20] © 2003-2024 Formula One World Championship Limited. (n.d.). F1 - the official home of Formula 1® racing. Formula 1® - 2024 Constructor Standings. https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2024/team.

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