McLaren offered struggling driver Daniel Ricciardo to midfield rivals Alpine as a bargaining chip in the midst of the Oscar Piastri silly season saga.
The Formula 2 champion's future emerged as the big story during the summer break last season. Alpine had tried to promote the young Aussie to a race seat when Fernando Alonso decided he would be leaving, but were in for a nasty shock when Piastri very publicly turned down the seat.
It later emerged he had already signed a deal with McLaren, who were planning for the future with Ricciardo struggling for form. In the end, the 33-year-old was released a year earlier than planned with Piastri given his first Formula 1 race seat.
