McLaren remained silent during the protracted saga surrounding Oscar Piastri, Alpine, and Daniel Ricciardo. Now the dust has settled, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown spoke at length with Mat Coch, Speedcafe.com’s Formula 1 Editor in conjunction with RacingNews365 on a range of topics for a series of articles set to be published over the coming days.
Is there any such thing as loyalty in Formula 1? Given the way the driver market has played out in 2023 it is fair to suggest there is not.
The world of Formula 1 is ultra-competitive. On-track, drivers battle it out for supremacy and, off it, their teams do much the same in their own way. The F1 paddock is colloquially known as the piranha club, filled with predators eager to defend their territory and, if at all possible, steal a little of someone else’s. It’s the epitome of a dog-eat-dog environment where compassion is a weakness.
That was no more evident that the protracted saga that enveloped Oscar Piastri, Alpine, Daniel Ricciardo, and McLaren. When push came to shove, the difficult decision that needed to be made was. It’s one that has the very real potential to end Ricciardo’s career. That, in Formula 1 terms (and as unpalatable as it may be to the external observer), is little more than the cost of doing business. McLaren was faced with a decision; continue down a path that to date has failed to net the expected results or cut its losses and opt for a change.
That is not to say it’s an easy call to make. There are no certainties in life, let alone Formula 1, and the call was made over time. A body of evidence was weighed up and a conclusion was reached, the team no doubt looked at the realities, both commercial and competitive. Ricciardo, for whatever reason, simply doesn’t fit at McLaren. Prolonging the relationship is unlikely to net improved results and so, if an alternate is available, it is a reasonable and arguably responsible decision to make a change. Fortunately for Zak Brown, McLaren Racing’s CEO, an alternative arrived on his doorstep – quite literally – in Piastri.
When one of the most exciting prospects of their generation knocks on your door asking for work, only a fool would turn him away.
It is now known conversations between Piastri and McLaren were happening at least as far back as June, at a time when the team was publicly supporting the embattled Ricciardo. Brown, and his chief lieutenant Andreas Seidl, had clearly decided some months prior to the 33-year-old’s ultimate release that he would not drive for the team in 2023. It is that which has stuck in the craw; that publicly there was support for Ricciardo while it emerged later that there were moves afoot to oust him.
Of that there is no doubt. That is known courtesy of the Contract Recognition Board’s decision, a full copy of which Speedcafe.com has obtained. “As far as the Board is concerned Mr Piastri is free to drive for McLaren for the 2023 and 2024 F1 seasons.” Of particular note is the term ‘F1 Driver’, noting earlier in the document it made very clear distinctions between Reserve Driver and F1 Driver roles.
Piastri and McLaren signed the deal to make the Melburnian a race driver for the team for 2023 and 2024 on July 4, seven weeks prior to confirmation of Ricciardo’s departure. That followed the signing of a Driving Agreement on June 3, from which we can deduce conversations began at least as long ago as May.
Here arises the question of loyalty, and to an extent ethics, as McLaren continued to publicly support Ricciardo while behind the scenes it had already signed his replacement. In retrospect, those words of support were misleading.
“Every once in a while, there’s something that I would have said that I would have maybe said a little bit differently, but on the whole, no,” Brown admits, when asked if he’d do things differently if he had his time over. Truth be told, McLaren handed the contract scuffle over Piastri about as well as it could have, though that’s not to say it was perfect. Remaining silent on the saga was likely the best policy as nothing positive could come from constant rhetoric on the matter, just look at Alpine. But by the same token, the language used in supporting Ricciardo relied on syntax and context for its accuracy and therefore has a whiff of dishonesty.
“We’ve tried to just be transparent with everyone all the time,” Brown explains. “Sometimes people appreciate transparency, other times it works against you. Everyone has an opinion, and I think all you can do is do what you think is right, for you and everyone you’re dealing with. We didn’t comment through the whole CRB because we felt the truth would come out at the end, and so instead of us making predictions, which Otmar [Szafnauer, Alpine Team Principal] all along the way. We thought we would let the ruling speak for itself, and came out that it was unanimous; a slam dunk.”
That Brown focuses on the outcome of the CRB as his measure is telling. Formula 1 is an outcome-driven industry, not one prone to looking backwards. The goal is success, progress, and overcoming whatever the next challenge is be that on-track or off it; the fate of individuals and their feelings is very much a secondary concern if it’s even considered at all. It’s not to say there is no loyalty in Formula 1, there is, provided one is delivering the job they’re employed to do. Loyalty is directly linked to performance.
“I think there’s a lot of loyalty in Formula 1,” Brown refutes when put to him that the sport is far too business driven to concern itself with the softer side of people management. “I can only speak on behalf of McLaren – a lot of loyalty. But it is a performance-based business. You have to do what’s in the best interest of your team.”
Brown’s comments come with justification; Oliver Turvey has been on the team’s books for more than a decade, and it took Fernando Alonso to the Indianapolis 500. But it is inescapable that the commercial interests of the business ultimately come first, and when push comes to shove, loyalty will be kicked to the kerb.
That cuts both ways, and staff will also seldom dally if they get a better offer. Alonso is a prime example; departing Alpine for Aston Martin next season despite the former believing it was on the cusp of renewing the Spaniard for another season. Then of course there is Piastri, who grew weary of Alpine’s games and made the switch to McLaren with his own best interests at heart. Of course, the knock-on is that eight-time grand prix winner Ricciardo loses his drive, but that is of no consideration or consequence to anyone but the West Australian. Let’s not forget, Ricciardo left Renault (as it was then known) for McLaren.
It’s a mentality that’s arguably endemic of the sport at a professional level. McLaren has recent experience of another instance, when it attempted to poach Alex Palou, who attempted to wriggle out of a deal with Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar to join McLaren SP. Ironically that saga, almost a mirror image of the Piastri ordeal, played out very much at the same time.
“They were both actually totally opposite,” Brown explains when asked of the recruitment process at McLaren in lieu of the fact both Palou and Piastri ended up in the ‘legal’ realm (the Contract Recognition Board is not technically a legal entity, but is empowered to make rulings under Formula 1’s Concorde Agreement). “The only commonality was driver news on both sides.
“We’re trying to build, in everything we do, the best racing teams we can, and the first thing we need is the best racing drivers you can get your hands on. And so with Alex, in North America, is a champion, is a great driver, we wanted to test in our Formula 1 car, our IndyCar. He’s now been in our Formula 1 car a couple of times, done a great job, and we’ll see about the future as it relates to IndyCar. But simply, we’re just trying to get the best driver lineups in every racing series that we’re in because you just need to start there to build the best team.”
Part 3 of the interview with Brown will be published tomorrow morning, where he rationalises the hiring of Oscar Piastri at the cost of Daniel Ricciardo.
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