Oscar Piastri will be allowed to run in the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship post-season test in Abu Dhabi with the McLaren F1 Team after the Australian was released early from his contract with the BWT Alpine F1 Team.
Since the dispute over his contract for 2023 that ultimately went to court, there were doubts that Alpine would release him in time to run in 2022 machinery, but the two teams have come to an agreement that will allow the 2021 FIA Formula 2 champion to run in McLaren’s MCL36 at the Yas Marina Circuit later this month.
McLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl confirmed earlier this weekend to Sky Sports F1 in Brazil that Piastri has already started his duties with the team with a test at the Circuit Paul Ricard on board their MCL35M that raced in 2021 and that has already been tested this year by Colton Herta, Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou.
Alpine will not allow McLaren to run Piastri during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend as technically he is still part of the Enstone-based team until the end of the season, but they will not stand in his way to run in the young driver test the following week. O’Ward will get his first free practice run in Abu Dhabi to complete McLaren’s mandatory young driver practice runs in 2022.
“There was a negotiation on an agreement as to how to part ways,” Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com.
“We’re drawing a line under it. Once this season ends, he’s free to go and do whatever he wants to do.”
Pierre Gasly will also be given the opportunity to test with his new team as part of the post-season test, with the Frenchman being given licence to run the Pirelli tyre test with Alpine by Scuderia AlphaTauri.
Gasly, who will end his long stint as part of the Red Bull programme after the Abu Dhabi weekend, will drive the A522 at the Yas Marina Circuit, with AlphaTauri likely to use it’s 2023 drivers, Nyck de Vries and Yuki Tsunoda for its running. Fernando Alonso will also get to test with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team for the first time.