09/02/2022 Act. at 16:41 CEST The FIA Contract Recognition Board agrees with the British in the conflict with Alpine Gasly, Mick Schumacher and Ricciardo, among the main candidates to relieve Alonso in the French team after the ‘escape’ of the young Australian End to the ‘soap opera’ of the summer. Oscar Piastri, 21, current F2 champion, will be a McLaren driver next year, forming a tandem with Lando Norris. The British team has beaten Alpine in the conflict of interest between both teams. The FIA Contract Recognition Board has ruled in favor of Woking, who immediately confirmed Piastri for next season. The Australian will make the leap to the premier class with McLaren, replacing his compatriot Daniel Ricciardo, who days ago already reached an agreement with his current team to terminate the remaining year of his contract. Piastri has been at the center of the controversy since Alpine announced him as a replacement for Fernando Alonso in 2023. The pilot himself denied them and reported on his networks that his debut in Formula 1 would not be with Alpine, despite having trained in his quarry. Alpine believed it had control over Piastri’s rights until July 31. Alonso’s departure to Aston Martin, announced on August 1, conditioned the plans of the French structure, which hoped to have the Asturian one more year and thought to give up the Australian to ‘get a foothold’ at Williams. Piastri’s manager, Mark Webber, reacted swiftly to get his pupil a better seat at McLaren. The case was heard last Monday in Geneva before the FIA’s Contract Recognition Board, which today ruled in favor of McLaren: “The Court has made a unanimous decision that the only contract recognized by the board is the one that Piastri has with McLaren, which was signed on July 4, 2024”. “Alpine thanks the Contract Recognition Board for meeting on Monday and we acknowledge the decision they have made. We give the matter closed on our end and will announce our lineup in due course. Right now what we have to focus on is the Dutch Grand Prix and to score points for our fight for fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship”, says the note issued a few minutes ago by Alpine. Gasly, Mick Schumacher and Ricciardo are the drivers best positioned to succeed Alonso in the French team next year. “I am very excited to be making my F1 debut with such a prestigious team as McLaren and I am very grateful for the opportunity that has been given to me. The team has a long tradition of giving young talent a chance, and I’m looking forward to working hard alongside Lando to bring the team to the front of the grid. I am focused on preparing for my F1 debut in 2023 and starting my F1 career in papaya,” Piastri said in a statement released by McLaren. We have signed 2021 F2 champion @OscarPiastri.Oscar joins Lando to form our exciting F1 driver line-up from 2023. 👊Full story. ⬇️— McLaren (@McLarenF1) September 2, 2022 “The entire team is delighted to welcome Oscar to McLaren for the 2023 F1 season. He has an impressive racing career to date and we are sure that he, together with Lando, will be able to help us take another step towards our ambitions. We still have some important work to do this season that the team remains focused on, before we make sure Oscar is integrated into the team as quickly as possible and is ready for the challenges that lie ahead. We look forward to preparing together for an exciting 2023 season,” said McLaren director Andreas Seidl. McLaren CEO Zak Brown said, “Oscar is one of the emerging talents coming to F1 and we are delighted to see him. joining the team for 2023. Winning in both F3 and F2 in successive rookie seasons is a real achievement and a testament to his talent. With Lando and Oscar we have an exciting young F1 line-up with great potential, which puts us in a good position to achieve our future ambitions.”