Following on from last month’s column about Oscar Piastri, Alpine and McLaren, the contract recognition board’s publication of its findings has painted Alpine in an unflattering light and actually vindicated the actions of Piastri and his management in signing for McLaren. The young Australian driver did not actually have a valid Alpine contract despite having been promised one since last November. Furthermore, he had already informed Alpine of his McLaren deal weeks before Fernando Alonso dropped his bombshell that he was leaving. So when Alpine announced the next day that Piastri would be Alonso’s replacement, it knew he was already signed elsewhere as a result of its own less than full commitment to him.