Alpine have allowed Oscar Piastri to join his new employers McLaren earlier than planned, the bosses of both teams have confirmed.
The two teams are each others' main rivals in Formula 1 these days, as they tussle for fourth place in the constructors' championship. But that battle is nothing compared to the one they fought earlier this year over the future of the 2021 F2 champion.
Piastri was on the books at Alpine, but only as a reserve as the Enstone team looked to extend the contract of Fernando Alonso. It was only when the Spaniard decided to leave for Aston Martin that they tried to promote the Aussie to his first F1 race seat.
