During the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, Oscar Piastri had a humorous reaction over team radio following a nearly disastrous incident involving his former team, Alpine.
On lap 55, while chasing McLaren teammate Lando Norris for the lead, Piastri tried to navigate past slower cars exiting Turn 3. However, Franco Colapinto in the Alpine, who was focused on battling Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull, seemingly didn`t spot Piastri approaching. This forced the Australian off-track onto the grass to avoid a collision.
Piastri`s departure from Alpine`s junior program for McLaren three years prior was one of Formula 1`s most talked-about transfer controversies. Understandably frustrated by the close call, he was heard saying in an unbroadcasted radio message:
`Alpine still manages to find a way to f— me over all these years later, huh.`
Despite the scare, the 24-year-old successfully finished the race in second place, right behind Norris. This result narrowed his championship lead to 15 points.
Piastri`s path from a highly-rated junior driver to a title contender has been anything but standard. He initially joined the Renault, and then Alpine, academy in January 2020, and in July 2022, Alpine announced him as one of their F1 drivers for the next season.
However, Piastri publicly stated he had not signed an Alpine contract – a claim later upheld by the FIA`s contract recognition board. He ultimately signed with McLaren, citing a loss of trust with Alpine and calling the handling of the situation by then-Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer `bizarre and upsetting`.
Regarding Sunday`s near-miss, Franco Colapinto received a five-second time penalty and a penalty point for his involvement.
Explaining his perspective, Colapinto stated, “`I just didn`t see him. He was in my blind spot and I was focused on Tsunoda. I really wanted to get past [Tsunoda].”
Dominic Ashworth