Oscar Piastri bemoaned that Alpine “still managed to find a way to f*** me up all these years later” after both its cars impeded him during Formula 1‘s Austrian Grand Prix.
The Australian, a former Alpine junior driver, finished second at the Red Bull Ring after a tight battle with team-mate Lando Norris saw victory go the way of the Englishman.
McLaren’s fourth 1-2 of the year in Norris’ favour sees Piastri’s title lead stunted to just 15 points.
Later in the race, sensing an opportunity to close on Norris to mount a late challenge for victory, Piastri encountered a battle between Franco Colapinto and Yuki Tsunoda.
The fraught on-track joust between the two struggling drivers came to a head at Turn 3, as the Red Bull squeezed the Argentine’s Alpine wide, and when repositioning to attempt an overtake, Colapinto squeezed Piastri onto the grass as the trip approached Turn 4.
Piastri escaped with a couple of wheels onto the grass, duly lapping the pair soon afterwards, and Colapinto was reprimanded with a five-second grid penalty for his troubles.
And with the race now nearing its end, Piastri was baulked by Pierre Gasly in the second of the French squad’s cars, prompting him to utter his frustation over team radio.
“Alpine still managed to find a way to f*** me up all these years later, huh?” he blasted.
Piastri frustration – a three-year-old bone of contention
Piastri’s comments will remind many of the infamous incident in 2022, in which Alpine announced him as its second driver for the 2023 campaign, after Fernando Alonso announced he would leave and join Aston Martin.
Piastri quickly took to his Twitter account to deny that he would be driving for the Enstone-based squad, saying its press release confirming him as Esteban Ocon’s team-mate was “wrong,” adding: “I will not be driving for Alpine next year.”
Piastri later confirmed he has signed a deal with McLaren for 2023 instead, via the help of manager and former F1 driver Mark Webber.
It sparked a contentious battle for Piastri’s signature, which went all the way to the Contract Recognition Board, which ultimately ruled in favour of McLaren.
READ MORE – Oscar Piastri ‘pushed the limits a bit much’ in Austria F1 battle with Lando Norris
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