Oscar Piastri will drive for McLaren Racing in 2023 after contract board rules against Alpine

Associated PressSep 2, 2022, 11:00 AM EDT
Oscar Piastri McLaren
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Oscar Piastri will join McLaren on a multiyear deal in 2023 after Formula One’s contract board ruled in his favor and against Alpine on Friday.

Alpine was in dispute with Piastri – the team’s reserve driver – after he said he didn’t want the promotion to the Alpine seat vacated by Fernando Alonso for next year.

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer wanted to retain the 21-year-old Australian driver.

The matter went before F1’s Contract Recognition Board this week, and the four-person tribunal ruled that McLaren had an existing contract in place.

“The only contract to be recognized by the board is the contract between McLaren Racing Limited and Mr Piastri dated 4 July 2022,” governing body FIA said in a statement. “Mr. Piastri is entitled to drive for McLaren Racing Limited for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.”

Piastri won the F2 title last year.

“I’m extremely excited to be making my F1 debut with such a prestigious team as McLaren and I’m very grateful for the opportunity that’s been offered to me,” Piastri said. “The team has a long tradition of giving young talent a chance, and I’m looking forward to working hard alongside Lando (Norris) to push the team towards the front of the grid.”

McLaren CEO Zak Brown called Piastri “one of the up-and-coming talents” and said he can succeed alongside the British driver Norris, who has six career podiums in F1.

“In Lando and Oscar we have a young, exciting F1 lineup with a huge amount of potential, standing us in good stead to achieve our future ambitions,” Brown said. “Oscar is an exciting addition to the McLaren family, and we look forward to seeing him grow with our F1 team.”

Alpine said it accepted the ruling, which leaves it with a vacant seat next year.

French driver Pierre Gasly, who drives for AlphaTauri, has been linked to the seat. So has Daniel Ricciardo, who is splitting with McLaren at the end of this year.

“We consider the matter closed on our side and will announce our full 2023 driver lineup in due course,” Alpine said in a statement. “Our immediate focus is the Dutch Grand Prix and securing points in our fight for fourth in the constructors’ championship.”

Alonso is driving for Aston Martin next year as a replacement for four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel, who is retiring.

McLaren Racing also fields a team in the NTT IndyCar Seres, where it also has F1 testing contracts with Colton Herta and Alex Palou, who is in a contract dispute with Chip Ganassi Racing that is similar to Piastri’s situation after announcing he’d signed with McLaren in July.

Ryan Hunter-Reay hired as replacement for Conor Daly at Ed Carpenter Racing

By Jun 8, 2023, 9:05 AM EDT
Ryan Hunter-Reay Carpenter
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Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”