Oscar Piastri tweet sends F1 into meltdown as Alpine contract denied

Four years ago, one tweet turned Formula 1's silly season into the most chaotic driver market saga in memory.

On 2 August 2022, Alpine issued a press release confirming Oscar Piastri as their race driver for the following season, slotting him in alongside Esteban Ocon.

Hours later, the young Australian took to Twitter and detonated the announcement with a statement that sent the paddock, and social media, into a frenzy.

"I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year," Piastri wrote. "This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year."

It was extraordinary. An F1 team had announced a driver, and the driver had publicly refused the seat on the same afternoon.

Article continues after Piastri's infamous tweet.

A domino effect triggered by Alonso

The whole saga was set in motion by Fernando Alonso. Sebastian Vettel's retirement announcement in late July 2022 opened a seat at Aston Martin, and on 1 August, just 24 hours before Piastri's infamous tweet, Alonso was confirmed as Vettel's replacement.

Alpine was blindsided, having expected to retain the Spaniard on a shorter-term deal while preparing to eventually promote Piastri.

With Alonso gone, Alpine rushed to install Piastri, but their contractual position was fatally flawed. Piastri, managed by Mark Webber, had already signed a deal with McLaren on 4 July, nearly a month before Alpine's announcement.

The FIA's Contract Recognition Board ruled unanimously in McLaren's favour on 2 September 2022, confirming the Woking outfit's contract as the only valid agreement.

How things have unfolded since

The consequences of that tweet have been remarkable.

Piastri replaced Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren and has since won nine grands prix, taken six pole positions and played a pivotal role in back-to-back constructors' championships in 2024 and 2025.

Now 25, he sits alongside Lando Norris in a line-up that is the envy of the grid.

Alpine, meanwhile, signed Pierre Gasly from AlphaTauri to fill the void. The team slipped from fourth in the 2022 constructors' standings to sixth in 2023 and ninth in 2024, eventually abandoning its Renault works power unit programme entirely.

As for Alonso, the man whose departure lit the fuse, the 45-year-old remains at Aston Martin in 2026, still defying time.

One tweet, four years ago. It changed everything.