Four Years On: Oscar Piastri's Tweet That Upended the F1 Driver Market

Four years ago, Oscar Piastri fired off a tweet that became instant F1 folklore. On August 2, 2022, he publicly rejected Alpine's announcement naming him as their 2023 driver, revealing he had already signed with McLaren weeks earlier. The post detonated the driver market and triggered a domino effect that reshaped careers and team fortunes.

Why it matters:

This wasn't just a social media spectacle—it exposed how fragile driver contracts could be and how ruthlessly teams operate during silly season. Alpine's blunder cost them a generational talent and handed McLaren the missing piece of its championship puzzle, fundamentally shifting the competitive balance of the grid.

The details:

• Fernando Alonso's shock move to Aston Martin on August 1, 2022, replacing the retiring Sebastian Vettel, blindsided Alpine.
• Alpine issued a press release claiming Piastri for 2023, but the Australian, managed by Mark Webber, had already signed with McLaren on July 4.
• The FIA's Contract Recognition Board ruled unanimously for McLaren on September 2, validating only the Woking contract.

The big picture:

• Piastri has since claimed nine wins and six poles, playing a pivotal role in McLaren's 2024 and 2025 constructors' championships.
• Alpine filled the seat with Pierre Gasly but collapsed from fourth in 2022 to sixth in 2023 and ninth in 2024, eventually scrapping its Renault works engine programme.
• At 45, Alonso remains at Aston Martin in 2026, outlasting the chaos he triggered.

What's next:

McLaren is now a title-winning force, while Alpine faces a long rebuild as a customer outfit. Piastri remains locked into one of the grid's most coveted seats alongside Lando Norris—a stark contrast to the future Alpine thought it had secured in one infamous afternoon four years ago.