Alpine parts ways with its head of legal affairs in the wake of the Piastri affair
Just over three months after the imbroglio surrounding Oscar Piastri's departure from Alpine, the French team has decided to part company with its head of legal affairs.
The Piastri case has just claimed its first victim at Alpine. Benedicte Mercer, responsible for the legal aspect of the contracts between drivers and their employer, was directly involved in the Australian driver’s agreement with the French team. Through a publicly released dismissal letter, Alpine has officially announced its separation from the lawyer.
Summary of the facts
On the first day of the summer break on August 1st, Fernando Alonso announced his departure from Alpine to Aston Martin starting in 2023. The following day, Alpine officially announced their replacement for him with the team’s third driver, Oscar Piastri. But a few hours later, there was a twist as Piastri denied this information, even stating that he would not be driving for the French team next season.
The following days after these twists, the world of F1 learned that Piastri had signed a contract with McLaren. On the other hand, Alpine claimed that the one binding them to the Australian driver was valid. In early September, the Contract Recognition Board (CRB) ruled in favor of McLaren and Piastri officially committed to the British team.
Benedicte Mercer had been recruited as the head of legal affairs by the Enstone team in 2011, when it was called Lotus Renault GP. Since then, she had retained this position as the team became Lotus, Renault, and then Alpine. This marks the end of a journey of over a decade for the French lawyer.
