Oscar Piastri turning down an F1 seat at Alpine for 2023 is ‘very surprising’, says Paul di Resta

Piastri insists he won’t be driving for Alpine next year after the team announced him as Fernando Alonso’s replacement for 2023

Oscar Piastri’s firm denial of Alpine announcing him as their driver for the 2023 F1 season is “very surprising” given the team’s “great upwards trajectory”, says former F1 driver Paul di Resta.

A dramatic couple of days has seen Fernando Alonso stun the paddock by signing a “multi-year contract” with Aston Martin from next year, leaving Alpine with a seat to fill to partner Esteban Ocon.

Alpine reserve driver and 2021 F2 champion Oscar Piastri was on Tuesday evening announced as the team’s F1 driver next year in a press release which raised suspicions after it didn’t include any quotes from the 21-year-old himself.

Hours later, Piastri insisted this press release had been published “without his permission” and he has “not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023”, adding he will “not be driving for Alpine next year.” Williams have on Wednesday morning published a cryptic tweet teasing an announcement this afternoon at 3:00pm BST.

Despite rumours the Australian - who is managed by nine time Grand Prix winner Mark Webber - has been in talks with both McLaren and Williams, Di Resta admits he is “very surprised” that Piastri hasn’t accepted the offer of a seat at Alpine, who are currently fourth in the 2022 Constructors Standings.

Oscar Piastri has insisted he will not drive for Formula 1 team Alpine next season (Bradley Collyer/PA) (PA Wire)

“Fernando going to Aston, I hadn’t heard it anywhere, I don’t believe my colleagues had either and it also caught Otmar Szafnauer by surprise,” Di Resta told Sky Sports News.

“That has led on to what has happened obviously with Piastri who has been an Alpine junior. They have been lobbying him, saying how good he is and where that seat is going to come up and even trying to place him within the Formula 1 paddock because he is an asset to them in the future.

Paul Di Resta added that the only conclusion is that Piastri has landed a seat at another team (Getty)

“Now, that statement that he has put out, I find it very surprising that he is rejecting a team that is in the top four and a great upward trajectory, that you wouldn’t want to drive for them.”

Di Resta added that the only conclusion is that Piastri has already landed a seat at another team, which then throws into the mix Daniel Ricciardo’s future should that team be McLaren, or Nicholas Latifi’s if it is indeed Williams.

“That can only mean that he has got another seat secured somewhere else,” he added. “Where is he going to be driving? Is it McLaren? Is it Williams? Where does that leave Daniel Ricciardo? I am very unsure where that is going to happen.

“You have got this junior who is so highly rated on the back of what he has done in the junior categories and to sit him on the sidelines and now have him racing and invest all this testing in various different circuits. Putting him in a car was what Alpine had but obviously he feels he is going to be driving somewhere else.”