McLaren CEO Zak Brown has reignited criticism of Alpine’s handling of Oscar Piastri, labelling their loss of the young driver a high-profile mistake.
Piastri now leads the 2025 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship.
Speaking on The Race podcast, Brown singled out former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer for allowing Piastri, once part of Alpine’s development programme and an F2 Champion, to slip through their fingers.
The controversy erupted in 2022 when Alpine announced Piastri as Fernando Alonso’s replacement, only for the Australian to publicly reject the seat and confirm a move to McLaren.
That decision now looks inspired. After five races, Piastri sits atop the standings with 99 points, having won in China, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.
His blistering form has helped propel McLaren to the top of the Constructors’ Championship following the Melbourne Grand Prix.
Piastri’s emergence has also shifted the dynamic within McLaren. While many expected Lando Norris to be the team’s lead driver, Piastri has firmly taken centre stage.
Despite this, Brown has maintained an equal footing between the two drivers, resisting the temptation to impose team orders early in the season.
“Lando [Norris], we brought up through the ranks; Oscar we identified as the next Lando,” Brown said on the podcast.
“They [Alpine] kind of dropped the ball there. Thank you, Otmar! We were able to bring Oscar on board, and he’s done a fantastic job. We have two unbelievably competitive drivers.”
