The decision that led to Alpine losing Oscar Piastri to McLaren ahead of the 2023 season has gone down in Formula 1 folklore.
Speaking exclusively to F1 Oversteer, commentator Alex Jacques believes another driver on the grid might be following the same trajectory.
Oscar Piastri was a Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion, but had to spend the 2022 campaign on the sidelines at Alpine.
Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso were the team’s drivers, but before the end of the season, the Spaniard decided to start the next chapter of his career at Aston Martin.
Piastri was expected to replace Alonso, before his now-famous tweet denying he would be racing for Alpine in 2023, when he instead joined McLaren.
I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) August 2, 2022
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The Australian is now leading the drivers’ championship at the summer break, and reflecting on how this season’s rookies have performed, Jacques compared Piastri’s surprising career move to how Gabriel Bortoleto ended up at Sauber this year.
READ MORE: Who is 2025 Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto? Everything you need to know
Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty ImagesAlex Jacques full of praise for Gabriel Bortoleto who has ‘exceeded expectations’ at Sauber
Jacques was asked by F1 Oversteer to rate this year’s crop of rookies and said: “I think it’s really nice that they’ve all had an outstanding moment, haven’t they? Antonelli’s had the Sprint pole, and he’s had a tough rookie season, but Mercedes are slightly uncertain with their car.
“You’ve had Hadjar, just fantastic points-scoring run that he went on at the start of the year, very, very impressive after his tough start spinning out on the formation lap in Melbourne.
“But now, ever since he scored his first points, and ever since they updated that car in Spain, Bortoleto has been driving with real confidence.
“He could have scored points in Spain, but got unlucky with the timing of the safety car there. He has exceeded expectations.
“You know a Formula 2 champion is going to be impressive, because it’s equal machinery in Formula 2, and they’ve got to prove it with a team that has just 12 people that can work on the cars.
“You don’t get any accidental F2 champions. You’ve got to be a prestigious talent, and you’ve got to have proven yourself up the ladder.
RANKDRIVERPOINTS1Gabriel Bortoleto214.52Isack Hadjar1923Paul Aron1634Zane Maloney1405Jak Crawford125
“So he’s back-to-back F3, F2 champion. I think most people expected him to be quietly put away by Hulkenberg over one lap, and then show what he did in F2, which was a very, very strong racecraft and a lot of capacity behind the wheel, which is what is displayed in the last couple of races.
“What I don’t think anyone expected was his rapid one-lap pace as well. So, for him to be so strong in both categories, up against a driver that everyone in the paddock rates so highly, if he can carry on, and there’s no reason to think he can’t, because Sauber scored in the last six races.
“So they’ve transformed their season. And I’m just so pleased he’s had the car to show what he’s capable of, because sometimes with F2 champions, they don’t always get their go immediately. They sometimes have to wait on the sidelines.
“If you think that Piastri had to wait a year before he got a chance in Formula 1, that seems ludicrous now, and Bortoleto’s getting a chance with a team where he can show his talent, and his talent might be even more, perhaps, than we expected.
“I covered his Formula 2 season last year and was mighty impressed with what he did then, including a last-to-first recovery drive at Monza, which I’d never seen before, and I covered that championship for 10 years.
“So we knew he was good. He might be great, and that’s been one of the nice things to see across the European season.”
READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend
Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty ImagesGabriel Bortoleto continues to go from strength to strength with Sauber
Alpine eventually decided that they needed to back their driver academy after losing Piastri, but that hasn’t gone to plan either.
Jack Doohan was promoted for the final race of the 2024 season, but has already been replaced by Williams loanee Franco Colapinto.
Not backing Piastri has cost Alpine greatly, and Bortoleto could end up putting McLaren in a similar position one day.
Position Constructors’ Standings PointsPts 1 559 2 260 3 236 4 194 5 70 6 52 7 51 8 45 9 35 10 20
Alonso has been full of praise for Bortoleto, and the Brazilian secured his best result of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, finishing sixth directly behind his mentor.
Piastri poked fun at Alpine earlier in the season, but what’s less funny for the Anglo-French team is that the 25-year-old has outscored them since his Formula 1 debut.
There isn’t a standout star coming through the ranks at Alpine right now, but there are currently no guarantees over who will be Pierre Gasly’s teammate next season.
All of these issues could have been resolved if Piastri had a more watertight contract at the start of his F1 career.