Alpine staff were ‘tearing their hair out’ after missing out on dream line-up featuring Oscar Piastri

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Oscar Piastri will find out in just over four weeks whether he has been crowned Formula 1 world champion for the first time.

At times, the Aussie has been in searing form and led the drivers’ championship for six months, until Lando Norris reclaimed top spot at the last race in Mexico. Now, the McLaren drivers are separated by just one point with four races to go, setting up a tantalising conclusion to 2025.

Piastri’s form has dropped off recently, and he knows that an improvement is necessary for him to come out on top. It’s the stage in the year where almost any Formula 1 driver would give up anything to be in his position, especially when he doesn’t know when he’ll be back in a similar spot.

Piastri is ‘looking around’ for a new team, according to Peter Hardenacke, which would be a surprise move. Piastri has been told to stop worrying about ‘rumours’ that his teammate may be receiving preferential treatment, as it might divert from where his focus should be.

READ MORE: Andrea Stella addresses McLaren’s alleged ’emotional bias’ towards Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri

Alpine staff were ‘tearing their hair out’ after missing out on Oscar Piastri and Fernando Alonso for 2023

Piastri may look a bit ‘fed up’ at McLaren, but the decision to join them has been an excellent one. Over the last few years, they have completely transformed from being a midfield team to genuine front-runners and title contenders.

Heading into the 2026 F1 regulations, the positive momentum they have gathered should serve them well. They’ll also have the Mercedes engine, which is expected to be strong, in the back of their car. They’ll be one of four teams running the Silver Arrows’ power units next season.

Joining them as a customer next year is Alpine, who played a significant role in the development of Piastri in his younger years. A contract dispute saw him leave them to join McLaren, which was an inspired move, looking back.

According to BBC Sport, people inside Alpine were left ‘tearing their hair out’ after missing out on having a driver line-up of Piastri and Fernando Alonso for 2023. It was a stark contrast to who they ended up with, eventually settling for Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.

In an alternative universe, the French outfit has both Piastri and Mercedes engines for 2026, which would have been a very promising position. Instead, they’ll be left hoping to compete against the Aussie if they can develop a good car.

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Why Oscar Piastri’s McLaren move was perfectly timed

Back in 2022, McLaren and Alpine were midfield competitors and vying for similar spots every weekend. That changed not long after.

About halfway through 2023, a major McLaren development helped to push them to the front of the field and in contention for podiums.

Meanwhile, Alpine went the other way and have lost any momentum they might have had a few years ago.

Jolyon Palmer is concerned for Piastri after analysing his data from the last race, but he gets a fresh start at the next race in Brazil. Competing for a title with McLaren is a great situation to be in, and one he probably wouldn’t have had at Alpine.