Oscar Piastri accused his now former Alpine team of "upsetting" and "bizarre" actions as he broke his silence in the wake of confirmation of his McLaren move.
The Contracts Recognition Board (CRB) ruled on Friday that McLaren's deal with the Aussie was "the only contract to be recognised". It left the Woking outfit free to announce that the F2 champion would be racing for them in 2023.
But that was the final act of a lengthy saga which saw Piastri sign for McLaren behind closed doors on July 4, Fernando Alonso declare he would be leaving Alpine a month later and be left red faced when they tried to promote their reserve in his place.
Piastri famously denied that he had signed a deal in that infamous social media post, sparking that tug of war between the two teams that wanted the talented youngster. After maintaining his silence in public, the driver has finally spoken out about the ordeal.
"The CRB ruling has confirmed I didn’t have a contract for the 2023 season [with Alpine]," he told the official F1 website . "I was free to choose my destiny – and I felt McLaren was a great opportunity. They were very straightforward and very keen and enthusiastic to have me.
"To be completely honest, there was a lack of clarity around my future at the team at Alpine. They publicly stated they wished to continue with Fernando for at least one or two more years. I respect that. But after spending the year out, my hopes were firmly set on an Alpine seat and the lack of clarity and, similarly to Fernando, a bit of a strange feeling in negotiations, it didn't feel like it was the right decision for me [to stay around].
"The lack of clarity around my future, and ultimately a breakdown in trust, I felt the very attractive offer of McLaren and the positive dealings with them thus far were all reasons why I felt McLaren was where I was best off for the future."
He went on to criticise for Alpine for the way they have acted, adding: "My decision was made well in advance [of Alonso’s departure], which made Alpine's announcement probably even more confusing and upsetting because we had told the team that I wasn't going to continue."
And reacting to team boss Otmar Szafnauer's revelation that Piastri had "smiled" when told they were going to promote him to a race seat, the Aussie explained: "That was a bizarre and frankly upsetting episode. It was done publicly in front of some members of the team who were oblivious to the situation and I didn't want to cause a scene in front of them.
"Once we were in private, I told Otmar what our position was and what he had been told multiple times before that. It was very surprising to me to make that announcement."
