Formula One’s most wanted man Oscar Piastri signs with McLaren for 2023

Australia’s Oscar Piastri, the most wanted man in Formula One, says he’s “extremely excited” to have landed a drive with British giants McLaren in next season’s championship.

McLaren won its contract battle with French rivals Alpine on Friday, enabling the team to announce 21-year-old Piastri will be the man to take over from fellow Aussie Daniel Ricciardo next season.

Ricciardo will leave McLaren after two largely disappointing years - but hopes are high that Melbourne’s Piastri will become the next Australian F1 superstar.

“I am super-excited to be joining the grid and with such a prestigious team like McLaren,” Piastri said on social media. “I have no doubt it’s a great place to start my career. It’s been a long road up until this point.”

The reigning Formula Two champion Piastri, who’s managed by former Australian F1 star Mark Webber, had gone public during the contract battle over his determination to join McLaren. He had been Alpine’s reserve driver but said he didn’t want to take up the place vacated by Fernando Alonso next season.

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer had been confident of retaining him but after the dispute went before F1’s Contract Recognition Board this week, the four-person tribunal ruled McLaren had an existing contract in place.

“The only contract to be recognised by the board is the contract between McLaren Racing Limited and Mr Piastri dated 4 July 2022,” governing body FIA said in a statement on Friday.

“Mr Piastri is entitled to drive for McLaren Racing Limited for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.”

Alpine said it accepted the ruling, which leaves it with a vacant seat next year - with which Ricciardo’s name has already been linked, along with AlphaTauri’s French driver Pierre Gasly.

Alpine