Formula 1: after the outbreak in Alpine with Oscar Piastri, Williams released a statement

Why fight over a 21-year-old driver with no Formula 1 experience? The demand is generated by the movement around Oscar Piastri, the 21-year-old Australian who told him so “No” to Alpine and it is not yet known where he will race in 2023. However, some have taken advantage of the attention this issue has generated to make announcements, as happened with Williams.

At noon in English, Williams posted on his Twitter account: “Announcement at 3pm British Summer Time”. The tweet was filled with comments, many of them mocking if they had the consent of Piastri, who had used those words to disprove Alpine’s statement a few hours earlier.

“I understand that, without my consent, Alpine F1 issued a press release late in the afternoon that I will drive for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for the Alpine next year“, said a blunt Piastri on his Twitter account, the same channel that the French team had used to communicate his incorporation as Esteban Ocon’s teammate.

However, Williams made no reference to this. The team led by Jost Capito confirmed the continuity of Alex Albon. The British driver who runs with a Thai license has signed a multi-year contractthen it will continue into 2023 and until both sides decide.

“I understand that, with my consent, Williams Racing has released a press release this afternoon that I will ride for them next year.. This is correct and I have signed a contract with Williams for 2023. I will drive for Williams next year, “added Albon, in a clear mockery of Piastri’s writing, with a smiling face and a cry of” from Williams. “.

Far from taking it badly, Piastri tweeted back to Albon, congratulating him and uploading a “well played, sir” meme. Not for nothing at this stage of the season, they say the silly season (the foolish season).

In this way, the relapse on Williams – which according to the press was the first option for Piastri – will depend on the continuity of Nicholas Latifi, the other driver of the English team.

As published last month by the specialized site Car and Driver, Piastri was an option to replace him in 2023 in what was a win for Alpine: it would serve to promote him without a place on his team (given that Alonso until then would have renewed) and could establish relationships with a Mercedes motorized team to supply him with Renault engines.

According to information posted there, Webber advised Piastri not to commit to any of his possibilities, as if Daniel Ricciardo’s post at McLaren had been released, that would have been his best option to start in Formula 1.

In The Race they went further: they indicated that Piastri’s clause required Alpine to find him a place for 2023 by the end of July and if they didn’t get it he would be released to talk to other teams from 1 August, just the day Alonso chose to report his departure.

The F1 summer break began on Sunday after the Hungarian Grand Prix and on Monday already had its first shock, when Fernando Alonso announced his move to Aston Martin in 2023 from Sebastian Vettel, who had announced his retirement a few days before. But that’s not all: the next day, Alpine announced that the replacement for the two-time Spanish champion would be Oscar Piastri, his reserve driver, who less than two hours later came out to deny the team he had. made part since 2020, after being rookie F3 champion and adding F2 in 2021, something that only Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and George Russell (Mercedes) had achieved on the current grid. Undoubtedly more than enough reason to fight for the young promise.

Meanwhile, other teams not expecting a driver change for 2023, such as Mercedes, have made announcements to say nothing. “Nothing to announce,” wrote the CM of the German team’s report. There, what was uploaded was a Toto Wolff meme with a video that became popular on the social network Tik Tok, in which a person moves their hips for an effect but without actually moving them.

After the Red Bull disaster, Albon signed a multi-year contract

Alex Albon, 26, whose mother is Thai and whose father is English, has been racing in F1 since 2019 and for Williams since this season. During his tenure at Red Bull in 2019-2020 he signed two third places before being replaced in the Austrian team in 2021 by Mexican Sergio Pérez.

Then converted into a reserve driver at Red Bull, which left him out of the premier class for a year, he then signed for Williams for 2022. He is currently 19th in the World Championship with 3 points.

“It is really exciting to stay with Williams Racing for 2023. And I can’t wait to see what we can achieve as a team over the rest of this season and into the next year,” Albon shared in comments posted on the team’s website.

“The team is working very hard to progress and I am really motivated to continue this journey and continue to develop our learning together,” he added.

Jost Capito, General Manager and Team Principal, was also delighted with the announcement. “Alex is a great driver and an appreciated member of Williams Racingso we are pleased to be able to confirm that we will work with him for a long time. “

“Alex offers a great mix of skills and insights that will help make the team more successful in the future. He is a fierce competitor, has proven himself to be a popular and loyal member of the team. and we are delighted that it will give us a stable basis to continue developing in this new era of F1 cars ”.