Piastri found himself at the centre of a long-running contract saga last summer, with McLaren eventually 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:winning a court battle ♓to sign the highly-rated 21-year-old from under Alpine’s nose🔥. 

Alpine felt Piastri had a moral obligation - as well as a binding agreement - to race for the team in 2023 and even went as far as announcing the Australian in their 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:driver line-up in place of the departing168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Fernando Alonso. 

But F1’s Contract Recognition Board ruled in McLaren’s favour amid the dispute with Alpine, paving the way for Piastri to replace 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Daniel Ricciardo and become teammates with 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lando Norris. 

The situation led Alpine F1 team boss Otmar Sz🦄afnauer to call Piastri’s integrity into question after i𝕴t emerge൲d he had signed a contract with McLaren. 

But Piastri’s manager and former Red Bull driver Webber has moved to ꦕdismiss Alpine’s claims.&𒁏nbsp;

"He was pretty relaxed, actually," Webber told Speedcafe.

"Of course, ꩵhe was, ironically, showing as much loyalty as he could do under the 🔥circumstances, because he was waiting for answers. 

"He was the one who was the most loyal out of the whole situation. All the other🌄 shareholders and people that have been there since he's been eight years old were 𓄧certainly a lot less patient. 

"Oscaꦐr was keen to be as loyal as possible, and it still was pretty challenging [regarding] what the future was looking like.

"But then, obviously♒, McLaren said they wanted to make a change. Oscar was available, and that's something which we had to move pret🍰ty quick on.”

McLaren showed they are prepared to take ‘huge risk’ 

Despite winning three consecutive titles - including F3 and F2 - in a sparkling junior career, Piastri was forced to spend 2022 on the sidelines ✤in a reserve driver role for Alpine, after missing out on a full-time F1 seat.&෴nbsp;

Webber praised McLaren for being “prepared to tak🎶e a huge risk” by handing Piastri his F1 debut.

"They were prepared to take a huge risk on Oscar, wh🧜ich was tremen❀dous," Webber explained.

"They had don🐬e [the same] with Lando [Norris], they had done to a degree with Carlos [Sainz], and obviously Lewis [Hamilton, being brought in] un♏der Ron Dennis, that took a huge risk with him. 

"So it was a greaꦆt opportunity for Oscar to get going but, of course, he was mindful of replacing Daniel, absolutely, [but] if it wasn't him it would h🤡ave been someone else.

"[Oscar] knows he should have been racing this year. That's the big killer here, that he did a few days [of] testing, but racing drivers want to race and that was really hu♎rting Oscar this year."