Autosport Podcast: Alonso, Piastri, Aston and Alpine - making sense of driver market madness

After Sebastian Vettel announced his F1 retirement at the end of 2022, Aston Martin swooped for Alonso with a multi-year deal announced the morning after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Such was the shock of the deal, Alpine only learned of it through Aston’s press release confirming the news.

The saga then took a fresh twist, as what looked to be a formality of Alpine reserve driver Oscar Piastri being promoted into its line-up for 2023 was met by the Australian driver denying he’d signed a deal and stating he would not race for the team next season.

Alpine remains steadfast and certain its contract with Piastri will keep him at the team for next year, while the Australian appears to be angling for a McLaren move, which could see Daniel Ricciardo forced out if it comes off.

To make sense of events, host Martyn Lee is joined by Matt Kew, Alex Kalinauckas and Luke Smith to discuss all the recent news and possible implications.

You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or via all good audio platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.