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2021 FIA Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri has signed a multi-year contract with McLaren and will be partnering Lando Norris from the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship. The 21-year-old Australian from Melbourne has impressed the motorsports fraternity, winning the 2019 Formula Renault Euro Cup before going on to win the 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship and 2021 FIA Formula 2 Championship in successive seasons.
However, Piastri's contract signing with McLaren attracted lot of controversy after Alpine declared the driver set to drive for the French team following Fernando Alonso's departure. But minutes after Piastri declined to have signed any such contract with the team, the driver claimed that he will not be driving for Alpine and revealed signing an agreement on July 4 after the 2022 British GP.
Infuriated with Piastri's stand, Alpine moved to Contract Recognition Board seeking to recoup millions invested in developing him. In a fresh development, the CRB opined that Piastri's agreement with McLaren was only valid for next year and have instructed Alpine to pay the legal costs of all parties involved in the case.
The legal costs include $300,000 to McLaren and $120,000 to Piastri. As per CRB's verdict, the French team will also foot the bill of CRB and arbitrators Ian Hunter QC, Stefano Azzali, Prof. Dr Klaus Peter Berger and Matthieu de Boisseson. The CRB's unanimous ruling was announced on Friday, upholding McLaren's claim to the 2021 Formula 2 champion on a two-year deal starting from 2023 campaign.
Earlier, Piastri claimed that he is extremely excited to be making F1 debut with such a 'prestigious team as McLaren.' "I am very grateful for the opportunity that's been offered to me," said Paistri. With the development, Alpine have lost the services of two highly potential drivers in Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri.