Zak Brown, Bahrain GP, McLaren, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

Zak Brown hits out at rival F1 team for 'bullying' driver

The McLaren chief accused a rival F1 team of bullying his driver

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Accredited motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 13 May 2025 21:00

McLaren chief Zak Brown has reflected on Oscar Piastri's arrival at the team, and claimed that a rival F1 team tried to 'bully' him into signing with them.

The Aussie has enjoyed all six of his grand prix victories with McLaren, four of which have been achieved in 2025 and have launched him into the lead of the drivers' championship.

However, Piastri was not always part of the McLaren family and was brought up through the junior ranks by the Alpine Academy, with their relationship coming to an end in 2023.

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Having been passed over for a seat in 2022, Piastri served as Alpine and McLaren’s reserve driver that year, but following a contract dispute with the French team he signed for the Woking-based outfit for the 2023 season.

The saga did not end there however, with Alpine putting out a false statement claiming Piastri had signed with the team, an announcement the Aussie was forced to publicly counter.

Speaking to the Mail Sport, Brown has since addressed the contract saga and claimed that the false statement from Alpine was used to ‘bully’ Piastri into remaining with the team - whilst also criticising how their former team principal Otmar Szafnauer handled the situation.

“He claims that when he arrived Oscar was not tied down in the way he should have been and that it had nothing to do with him.

“But when you come in you have to assess everything and fix it. Maybe he should have taken a look.

“Their press release saying Oscar would get the race seat in 2023 did not even contain a quote from him. They did not even ask him. They put the statement out as if it was a done deal. It was used to bully him into doing what they wanted.

“The CRB ordered them to pay our expenses, so that tells you what they made of the situation.”

Brown relives Piastri contract saga

In 2022, Alpine released an official statement that read: “BWT Alpine F1 Team confirms 21-year-old reserve driver Oscar Piastri as Esteban Ocon’s teammate starting from 2023.

"In line with the commitments made by the team to the young Australian, Oscar will be promoted to race driver and step in Fernando Alonso’s seat from next year onwards."

However, Piastri confirmed that was not the case on his own X account, in words that have since become immortalised on social media.

“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,” the Aussie wrote.

“This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.”

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McLaren Oscar Piastri Alpine Zak Brown