Oscar Piastri, McLaren’s current Formula One championship leader, has clarified that his sharp radio message about former team Alpine during the Austrian Grand Prix was meant in jest rather than hostility.
The Australian driver made headlines when he remarked over team radio, “Alpine still managed to find a way to [expletive] me over all these years later, huh?,” after being forced off track to avoid a collision with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto. The comment, though not aired live on television, quickly gained traction online and drew attention due to Piastri’s high-profile departure from Alpine in 2022.
Speaking at a McLaren fan event in London’s Trafalgar Square, Piastri explained that the remark came in the heat of the moment after a series of frustrating run-ins with Alpine cars throughout the weekend. “It was just kind of a frustrating coincidence,” he said.
“My qualifying got hampered by an Alpine. I got impeded in the race by both the Alpines... It was more out of frustration than anything else.” He emphasized that he still holds respect for many individuals at Alpine and that the comment was a blend of irony and humour rather than resentment.
Piastri’s departure from Alpine was one of the most dramatic contract disputes in recent F1 memory, with the driver rejecting the team’s announcement of him as their 2023 driver in favour of joining McLaren.
That saga ended in McLaren’s favour, and while Alpine now struggles at the bottom of the standings, McLaren are defending constructors' champions and currently leading the way again. Despite the lingering drama, Piastri’s recent comment appears to be more of a light-hearted jab than a lasting grudge.
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