Alpine is ready to take Piastri to court according to Szafnauer

After passing through the CRB, Alpine should now turn to the High Court of Justice in London to resolve the “Piastri Affair”. A possibility confirmed by Otmar Szafnauer.

Published on 09/08/2022 à 12:12

Tom Trichereau

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Alpine is ready to take Piastri to court according to Szafnauer

Alpine - Piastri, soon in court. ©Photo Xavi Bonilla / DPPI

New twist in the Affair Piastres. Like a summer soap opera that never ends, the saga that shakes Alpine will take on a new dimension very soon. With the imbroglio surrounding the legality of the contracts signed by the young Australian prodigy, the Blues intend to play their card to the fullest. The French team is still determined to see the champion of Formula 2 evolve under his colors in 2023. Especially after having greatly financed his development to make him a driver ready to ride in F1.

What is certain is that if Alpine cannot keep him next year, the team based in enstone will try to get back on its feet as best it can with financial compensation. To obtain it, the court box seems inevitable. “ Going to the High Court of Justice, it is more than 90% certain that we will do it », explains Otmar Szafnauer for Reuters.

But before going to court, Alpine intended to obtain information from the CRB (FIA Contract Recognition Board), the council created by the FIA ​​to ensure the conformity of “pilot” contracts. “ If the CRB says “your license is only valid at Alpine ", and he (Piastri) says "that's great, but I'll never drive for them, I'll sit for a year", then you have to go to the High Court to get compensation », specifies the main team ofAlpine.

After the validation of the CRB, only the court remains in the “Piastri Case”

Except that according to our information, the CRB has validated the contract uniting Oscar Piastri to McLaren for 2023. Then the most probable outcome and which should most probably be chosen by Alpine would therefore be a passage through the High Court of Justice in London. This could allow the French team to recover financial compensation. “ We haven't yet sat down with the accountants to calculate everything we spent. We're going to have to do it if we go to the High Court of Justice », Announces Otmar Szafnauer.

What is certain is that the calculators risk panicking when it comes time to do the accounts. With the program of 5 km of tests behind the wheel of a car last year, the French team had spent without skimping on its young prodigy. For the engine alone, the Blues spent 1 euros. We must then add the travel of the teams who supervise the tests, etc. All the elements are in place for the next episode of the summer break saga, “The Piastri Affair”.

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