Next season's Alpine and Williams drivers seats get more clear
Jun.14 - The driver lineups at Alpine and Williams are becoming clearer for 2023.
Renault-owned Alpine has Esteban Ocon under contract already, and it seems very likely that Red Bull will extend its loan of Alex Albon to Williams for another year.
Williams may also be getting another driver 'on loan' for 2023.
It is becoming clear that Alpine intends to ink a new deal with Fernando Alonso - meaning the Enstone based team needs to find a place for its rookie reserve driver Oscar Piastri.
Reports over the Baku race weekend strongly linked the reigning Formula 2 champion and Australian to struggling Nicholas Latifi's seat for 2023.
"I definitely feel I'm under pressure but that will be the same for any driver who doesn't have a contract for the following year," Canadian Latifi, who takes considerable backing to Williams in the form of his father's food company Sofina.
"I know I have to improve, I want to improve, I'm not happy with the way things are right now, so I just try and keep making steps to improve it," he added.
As for two-time champion Alonso, he sounds determined to keep his current place on the grid, therefore locking out the Alpine race seat for Piastri for at least another season.
"As long as I'm competitive and don't suffer from the travel, why stop?" the Spaniard told the Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport.
"Oscar is good and the team is free to test us, but they know what I have to offer. I don't think I have anything to prove," Alonso insisted.
"Not only that, I have the advantage of knowing the circuits well and how they vary, which is an important detail.
"I haven't really changed since I was 25," the 40-year-old added. "My general attitude, the research beyond performance, the desire for fairness in race management decisions.
"My desire for revenge is always alive."
However, he is not expecting any official contract news for now.
"I still have two years in me, but the decisions will not be made until around the summer," said Alonso.
Here you can see the 2023 F1 teams and drivers overview
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"My desire for revenge is always alive." Ah revenge a lovely meal...
As for Hamilton , if its getting to much for him, cryotherapy ffs , and
regularly beaten by a guy nearly 14yr younger, best he stops ermmm Now... would be good, have to wonder when he says things like going internal... no one wants to hear a man, albeit a skirt wearing man saying things like that
Yes f3 another Hamilton slamming when its not about her
Piastri replacing Latifi for next season with Williams simultaneously returning to Renault power, partly to sweeten the deal, seems likely & only a matter of time before becoming formal.
This way, his arrangement would be similar to Russell’s with the same manufacturer PU under the cover.
Albon isn’t on loan but fully contracted & this has been open info since last September when he got announced.
I'm seemingly the only one who paid attention to what got said about his contractual situation at the time or the only one who hasn't forgotten.
Christian horner must been talking bollox when he said this then
Albon returned to a Formula One race seat in 2022 with Williams, replacing George Russell and partnering former Formula 2 teammate Nicholas Latifi After the announcement was made, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealed that Albon "retains a link to Red Bull" and that the team has an option to recall him for 2023
“He is a full Williams driver, with no contract with Red Bull,”
- Capito last September.
I don't disagree with Capitos words, but what he doesn't say is, that he ALSO has a contractual option for 23, and what was capito referring to , id say he means just the 22 season in his contract with williams
Heres Christians email , if you need confirmation
christian.horner at red bull racing dot com
The option thing isn't contractual since the contractual status is that he's a full Williams driver & I somewhat doubt that's Horner's actual email address, LOL.
Anyhow, here's one reference article I re-searched for copy-pasting the quoted phrase.
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/capito-albon-arrival-red-bull-williams-connection/6674192
Never say never, but regardless of anything, a return for Albon is unlikely anyway.
Ok lets make this easy AA out of contract end of 22, Williams approached RB wanting AA for 22, RB cancelled AA contract for 22, and Immediately got him to sign a contract for an option on him for 23 .
At That Time RB didn't know SP was going to be a monster for them, only giving him an extension past his 22 contract for another 2 years in may this yr
Now the above isn't my clarification of the situation ,
See formula 1 com 17th Sept for a video interview
Doubting my integrity, of course its his email
Any thoughts JJ ?
I slightly struggle to think how such a scenario could be practically realistic.
Terminating his general RB contract (which would've continued this year had he not joined Williams) & making a separate one to commence later.
Nothing along such lines specifically was said when he got announced, but I search for your referenced video interview if I can.
I mean if I find anything from September 17th.
formula1com search either c horner or vids or geez look yourself lol, its easy to follow MERC wanted all contractual things away from rb eyes , hence they terminated his contract to please all parties, nothing weird about a start date some time in the future, gardening leave?
If they hadnt and IP found its way to Rb via albon
I will at some point, but gardening leave is only for other team members rather than drivers.
i must have missed that in the fia rule book not for drivers lol, at some point, why not now?
I don't know, just how this thing has been for a long time, if not always.
Team members other than drivers, more often than not, have to do gardening leave before officially starting work after a team change.
Drivers always begin from race one each season, even if they've moved between teams after the previous campaign.