The ‘silly season’ is well and truly here, so let’s explain how we got here through some bombs from Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, a shock rejection and how McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo are right…

F1 in 2023: Who drives where next season?

We’ve known for some time that all three top teams have packed their line-ups for 2023, while a news-heavy Hungarian GP weekend gave us more confirmation of next season’s grid. The departure of Sebastian Vettel opened up a space at Aston Martin, which they promptly, and surprisingly, filled with another multiple world champion in Fernando Alonso.

F1 contracts: Who drives where in 2023?

                Red Bull Max Verstappen Sergio Perez Ferrari Charles Leclerc Carlos Sainz Mercedes Lewis Hamilton George Russell Alpine Esteban Ocon TBC McLaren Lando Norris Daniel Ricciardo*                                            Alfa Romeo Valtteri Bottas TBC Haas Kevin Magnussen TBC Aston Martin Fernando Alonso Lance Stroll AlphaTauri Pierre Gasly TBC Williams Alex Albon TBC

That freed up a slot at Alpine, one they thought they had their own quick fix for when they announced Oscar Piastri’s promotion – although the highly-rated Australian hit back to insist he wouldn’t be driving there. To add to the circus (which we’ll explain below), it could also open up a seat at McLaren, where Daniel Ricciardo is adamant he has a sealed contract until 2023, but team management hint he has options, hence the asterisk in the table above. On paper at least, Alpine is the best available position in F1, with the Williams opening looking the next most feasible.

Piastri’s shocking rebuttal is upending the driver market

Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player Paul Di Resta is surprised by Oscar Piastri’s rejection of a seat in the Alps next season and believes the young Australian has another spot for 2022.
Paul Di Resta is surprised by Oscar Piastri’s rejection of a seat in the Alps next season and believes the young Australian has another spot for 2022. Alonso’s shock departure from Alpine to Aston Martin, who are currently five places and 79 points worst in the championship, has led to a contract row, with the Silverstone team more keen to give the 41-year-old the multi-year deal he wants . It was certainly a surprise to Alpine, though it seemed to solve one of their issues. The Renault team had already been sweating over the future of Piastri, their reserve driver and Formula 2 champion, and looked set to try to find him a place elsewhere, the difficulties of which they learned last year when they tried and failed. Alonso’s exit opened up a competitive position and Alpine had a very competitive driver inside waiting. Simple, right? Piastri has been regarded as motorsport’s most talented youngster for some time. Piastri has won three consecutive single-seater championships since 2019, while his feat in Formula 3 and Formula 2 was the only one achieved before Charles Leclerc and George Russell. But while Leclerc and Russell immediately secured F1 seats after their triumphs, Piastri had to settle for being Alpine’s reserve driver in 2022. Alpine announced the Piastri on Tuesday afternoon, although eyebrows were raised for a number of reasons. First, the news came just hours after team boss Ottmar Schaffnauer said there was no deal. The press release was also published in what would have been the middle of the night in Australia – not the best for traction and home support – and also never used the words ‘signed’, but ‘promoted’. Most curious and suspicious was that no quotes from Piastri himself were included. We didn’t have to wait long to get a reaction from Piastri, and it wasn’t something Alpine would have expected. “I understand that, without my consent, Alpine F1 issued a press release late this afternoon that I will be driving for them next year,” Piastri posted on social media. “This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not ride for Alpine next year.” Twitter Due to your consent preferences, you cannot see these Privacy Options

Why did Piastri snub Alpine and now what?

So why has Piastri turned his back on the club that has funded his youth career for the past four years? After all, landing a place in F1, particularly a competitive one, should be a dream for any youngster. While we await a detailed explanation from Piastri, his initial comments, and in particular his insistence that he will not ride for Alpine, make it clear that he believes he has a place elsewhere in the series in 2023. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player Martin Brundle is joined by F2 champion Oscar Piastri on track at Turn 10 to discuss his role as Alpine reserve driver.
Martin Brundle is joined by F2 champion Oscar Piastri on track at Turn 10 to discuss his role as Alpine reserve driver. Alpine, however, believe they are also on solid contractual ground – and that Piastri has an obligation to ride for them. It leaves us in the driver market gap, while the summer holidays mean there will likely be no reaction from teams and drivers for a while. If Piastri agrees to a deal with another team, a settlement could be reached, or if Alpine dig in, it could be up to F1’s contract recognition board, made up of independent lawyers, to settle the dispute.

Could he join McLaren? What does this mean for Ricciardo?

As we mentioned above, it’s clear that Piastri is targeting – or perhaps has already secured – another F1 seat. Excitingly, all signs point to McLaren, Alpine’s main midfield rivals. Why is this? Well, McLaren’s position is the only (seemingly) feasible one on the grid that could be seen as an attractive option like Alpine’s, and it would be very strange for Piastri to turn his back on his own team for one further down. Piastri is also understood to have held talks with McLaren management in recent weeks. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player Daniel Riccardo says it “felt right” to make a statement confirming he wanted to continue his contract with McLaren.
Daniel Riccardo says it “felt right” to make a statement confirming he wanted to continue his contract with McLaren. This, of course, puts Ricciardo’s future in huge doubt. There have been rumors of a McLaren runner-up alongside Lando Norris for some time, although Ricciardo – who has been under pressure this year – tried to head off that talk when he insisted last month that he would not leave F1 and see his contract with McLaren until the end of 2023. McLaren have hinted they have “options” on Ricciardo’s contract, although it is understood it is the Australian who has the exit clauses. If McLaren were to target Piastri to fill his place, Ricciardo might appear to be giving himself up – and in that scenario an impressive return to the Renault family could be on the cards. Ricciardo left Renault for McLaren two years ago, but Alpine suggested the door would be open for a return. Ricciardo shone with the Enstone team as Ocon’s team-mate before his departure for 2021. Obviously, there’s still a lot to go…