Andreas Seidl speaks highly of new signing Oscar Piastri and gives two reasons why they wanted the Australian
Andreas Seidl thinks Oscar Piastri is the right fit for McLaren and explains why the team lured the young Australian away from Alpine as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement, even though he has yet to contest a single Formula One race. Piastri was confirmed as McLaren’s regular driver for 2023 on Friday.
“We are super happy to know that we have Oscar alongside Lando [Norris] for 2023. It’s a very exciting driver line-up,” the McLaren team boss told ‘Sky’.
For Seidl, there are “two reasons” why Piastri was chosen: In the junior series he had shown “that he is something very special and has a lot of potential”, the German said. “In addition, his personality makes him a perfect fit for our team. “
Piastri had won Formula 3 2020 and Formula 2 2021 in his very first year before signing with Alpine as a test driver for 2022. “We are absolutely convinced of his talent and also his potential,” said Seidl.
“Oscar is young, he is full of energy and he has the right amount of confidence. At the same time, he is very humble and knows how big the challenge will be next year,” the team boss continues. “I think we have shown as a team over the past few years that we are very good with young riders. So I’m looking forward to getting going with him. “
Piastri also thanks Alpine
Piastri himself had posted a video on Twitter after the announcement, sharing his thoughts. “I am very happy to be able to compete with such a prestigious team as McLaren,” he said. “I have no doubt that this is a great place to start my career. “
It’s official! F1 OP81 @mclaren pic.twitter.com/CFY3Z1ddrQ
– Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) September 2, 2022
“It’s been a long road to get to this point. I have been racing for twelve years and this has been my dream from the beginning. So I would like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way, including my colleagues at Alpine over the last few years and especially my family who have been a big part of my career from the beginning. “
“I can’t wait to represent Papaya. I will do my best to go as fast as I can and get some good results. I’m looking forward to working with the team, working with Lando and I can’t wait to see you all soon,” said the Australian.
Seidl: “It was never a case for us “
As the decision of the Contract Recognition Board shows, the contract between McLaren and Piastri was already concluded on 4 July. Seidl considers the fact that the case went before the CRB at all to be an unnecessary distraction because there was never any doubt that they had a valid contract.
“It was never a case for us,” Seidl stresses. “So it’s probably better to ask the other party why they thought they had a case, and so this is not really a surprise for us,” he says of the outcome.
“It’s important that we look to the future now and at the same time focus on the last eight races of the season together with Daniel and Lando. We want to finish this season in a good fight with Alpine and then focus on next year.”
