Alpine have doubled down on their belief that they have signed Oscar Piastri for the 2023 Formula 1 season despite the driver's claim that he will not be racing for the team.
The Enstone-based team said on Tuesday afternoon that it had signed the Australian to replace Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard will move to Aston Martin at the end of the year to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel.
But around 90 minutes later Piastri, who had not been quoted in Alpine's announcement, released a statement of his own. In it, he said the team was "wrong" and asserted: "I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year".
