Australian Oscar Piastri will drive for British team McLaren in next season’s championship, confirming the much-anticipated move on social media.
McLaren won its contract battle with French rivals Alpine on Friday, allowing the team to announce 21-year-old Piastri as the man to replace fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo next season.
Ricciardo will leave McLaren at the end of what has turned out to be a disappointing two-year spell, but hopes are high that Melbourne’s Piastri will become F1’s next Australian superstar.
“I’m very excited to make my F1 debut with a team as prestigious as McLaren and I’m very grateful for the opportunity they’ve given me,” said the reigning Formula 2 champion, who is managed by the former Australian F1 star. Mark. Webber.
Piastri, who will join forces with Britain’s Lando Norris at the Woking team, had gone public during a contract battle with his determination to join McLaren.
He had been Alpine’s reserve driver but said he did not want to fill the position vacated by Fernando Alonso next season.
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer was confident of retaining Piastri, but after the dispute went before F1’s Contract Recognition Board this week, the four-man panel ruled that McLaren had a valid contract.
Daniel Ricciardo is currently without a team. (NurPhoto via Getty Images: Jakub Porzycki)
“The only contract recognized by the board is the contract between McLaren Racing Limited and Piastri dated July 4, 2022,” governing body FIA said in a statement on Friday.
“Mr Piastri is eligible to drive for McLaren Racing Limited for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.”
Alpine said it accepted the ruling, which leaves it with a vacant seat next year, with which Ricciardo’s name has already been linked, along with French AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly.
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has welcomed the Australian.
“Oscar has an impressive competitive career to date and we are confident that together with Lando, he will be able to help us take another step towards our ambitions.”
Piastri already has a remarkable motorsport CV, having won the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup before winning the 2020 Formula Three title and last year’s Formula Two crown in successive rookie seasons.
“The team has a long tradition of giving young talent a chance, and I’m looking forward to working hard alongside Lando to push the team to the top of the grid,” said Piastri.
“I am focused on preparing for my F1 debut in 2023 and getting my F1 career off to a flying start.”
McLaren boss Zak Brown hailed Piastri as “one of the up-and-coming talents” and said he could form a powerful and youthful combination with Norris, who has scored six podiums at the age of 22.
“In Lando and Oscar we have a young and exciting F1 line-up with great potential, which puts us in a good position to achieve our future ambitions,” said Brown.
“Oscar is an exciting addition to the McLaren family and we look forward to seeing him grow with our F1 team.”
AAP/ABC