Otmar Szafnauer has blamed “untrustworthy” individuals within Alpine‘s Formula 1 team over the contract dispute which saw Oscar Piastri elect to switch to McLaren.
Szafnauer was appointed as Alpine’s Team Principal back in 2022, but he departed the team in July 2023 amid a disappointing collapse in form in his second season.
Fernando Alonso’s choice in mid-2022 to agree an impending move to Aston Martin saw the Enstone-based squad reveal that reserve driver Piastri would replace him.
However, in a move that shook the F1 paddock, the Australian driver signed a contract with McLaren as Alpine squandered a two-time champion and upcoming talent.
But while Alpine used his image in response to the ruling going against the team, Szafnauer has revealed that he had no involvement in the ordeal surrounding Piastri.
Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, he explained: “There was a contract after he finished his F2 career where Alpine had an option on Oscar Piastri as a Formula 1 driver for Alpine, and that contract was never executed.
“In November, there was a two-week time window where it could have been done, and it wasn’t.
“Now my point is, come the CRB where Alpine lost because the filings were incorrectly done, we put out a press release, and the press release has my image on it.
“So number one, nothing to do with me. I wasn’t even there.
“But number two, the communications department that didn’t report to me thought it was a good idea to deflect the incompetency of those that were Alpine at the time by putting my picture on the release.”
Szafnauer claims Alpine ‘were out to get me’
Szafnauer also stated that he spoke to a member, whom he had worked with during his time at Force India, who was involved with putting the press release together.
When he challenged the individual on the matter, Szafnauer divulged that he was told: “I’m sorry, I was told to do this.”
He added: “But it just showed at the time that there were some people within the Alpine organisation that were untrustworthy and that were out to get me, so they weren’t working with me.
“Although they didn’t sign the contract in time, what was in that contract we delivered to Oscar, and that was not insignificant, it was 5000 kilometres in a two-year-old car that cost you a lot of money – and we did that.
“We absolutely did everything that was meant to be done by that contract that was never signed.
“In English law, had we taken it to an English court, maybe we would have won.
“You know, that’s unjust enrichment. ‘You know, you didn’t sign the contract, but you took all this and you’re not delivering what you’re supposed to deliver.”
In the end, Piastri’s move to McLaren has worked out as he is now a two-time race winner with victories at the Hungarian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix this season.
The Australian resides in fourth place in the Drivers’ Championship with McLaren also leading, while Alpine has regressed to ninth place with six rounds remaining.
READ MORE: Otmar Szafnauer reveals he paid ‘millions’ to Force India F1 staff in team’s final days
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