McLaren has acknowledged that it is the ‘other’ team involved in the contract stoush over Oscar Piastri.
While hardly a revelation in itself, it is the first time the operation has publicly acknowledged any involvement in the current saga.
A planned Friday afternoon press briefing in Zandvoort was cancelled with the team citing the ongoing Contract Recognition Board proceedings in a note to journalists, including Speedcafe.com.
McLaren has remained silent throughout the ordeal despite it being something of an open secret that it inked a deal with Piastri for 2023.
Even as it confirmed it had mutually agreed with Daniel Ricciardo to an early termination of the Australian’s contract, the squad refused to speak of the future.
Today’s reference of the CRB proceedings therefore marks official confirmation of its involvement.
It’s understood neither McLaren nor Alpine yet has any indication as to the outcome of the current situation.
The CRB met with the interested parties on Monday, and is believed to have spilled over into Tuesday.
Following the meeting, the independently appointed lawyers – a process which involves the F1 Commission to ensure their independence – has 72 hours to reach a conclusion.
However, the wording of that in the Concorde Agreement is open to interpretation with do definition for when that clock starts ticking.
That the matter has not already been decided suggests it is far from an open and shut case.
It’s likely the complexity is due to the deal Piastri signed with Alpine, or more specifically the contract which afforded Alpine options to his services for 2023.
The deal with McLaren will be fairly straightforward; a standard contract between team and driver which is typically easy to unpick.
It becomes more complex when one introduces a contract that offers options, which were taken up after the McLaren deal was signed.
It remains unknown when the CRB, which operates entirely independently of the FIA, will deliver its outcome.
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