Piastri was an Alpine junior in Formula 3 and Formula 2 and tested with the Formula 1 team extensively as part of the TPC (testing of previous cars) program.
That came with a view that Piastri would graduate to an Alpine race drive. However, a year on the sidelines in 2022 with no guarantee of a seat for 2023 meant he looked elsewhere.
In a shock twist, Piastri signed with McLaren after an administrative slip-up by Alpine opened the door to switch teams.
At the same time, Alpine was left in the lurch by two-time champion Fernando Alonso pulling up stumps to join Aston Martin.
Thinking they had Piastri locked in, Alpine announced he would be part of the team for 2023.
That prompted the Australian to make a now iconic viral Tweet refuting the Alpine announcement that sent shockwaves through the Formula 1 paddock.
Alpine went on to sign Pierre Gasly from the then-known AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) while Piastri replaced compatriot Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren.
The fallout from the saga resulted in a legal stoush between the Piastri camp led by Mark Webber and Alpine led by Szafnauer.
The former team principal said at the time that Piastri should have “acted with more integrity” while also taking a shot at McLaren CEO Zak Brown for poaching the young gun.
Ultimately, Szafnauer felt Piastri’s conduct was poor given how much the Enstone team had invested in him to that point.
“I don’t regret that,” Szafnauer said in relation to his integrity jab, speaking on The Race’s The Team Principal Podcast.
“We ran Oscar in over 5000km in a two-year-old car. That was a significant amount of money – millions to do that.
“If Oscar knew that he was using Alpine to get that mileage under his belt and seat time … knowing he was off to McLaren, that’s what I meant by that.
“And, no, I don’t regret saying that.”
Szafnauer said it was dishonest of Piastri to continue testing with the team while the McLaren carrot was dangling, knowing of the possibility of an impending switch.
“If you spot an opportunity like that, and you think you can get them as they did, that’s OK,” he said.
“It’s just this notion of undue enrichment, [where] you take part of a contract on one hand, and then you don’t fulfil your bit of the contract.
“You have a contract, say it’s not signed properly, you know that, but the other side is delivering their end of the bargain of that contract, and you have no intention on delivering yours.
“What you should do is say, ‘you know what, keep your test days. I’m not gonna do this. I’m gonna go over here’.”
I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) August 2, 2022
The Formula 1 contract recognition board ultimately sided with the Piastri camp.
It proved that Alpine failed to submit its side of the paperwork to formalise Piastri’s signing.
In effect, that gave him a two-week window as a free agent before joining McLaren.
Szafnauer said he doesn’t have any ill will towards Piastri for making the move.
Having sat on the sidelines and with some uncertainty around 2023 – especially with Alonso making noise that he would continue – the McLaren move made sense for Piastri.
“He (Mark Webber) wanted Oscar to get in a Formula 1 seat, we worked towards that, and I think Mark and probably his legal team saw a bit of a loophole when Alpine didn’t sign him in the two weeks,” Szafnauer said.
“They used that to their advantage to get him in a Formula 1 seat. That was their aim and their goal, and they used everything at their disposal to put Oscar in a Formula 1 car.
“You can’t blame him for that, that’s what he trained to do his entire life. That’s what his goal was. And then when you had the opportunity, you have to take it.”
Piastri, who leads the F1 standings, continues his season at the Monaco Grand Prix on May 23-25.
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