F1 News: Andreas Seidl pushed for Piastri McLaren deal
Oscar Piastri has been at the centre of this year's driver market, with Alpine and McLaren spending months squabbling to secure his services for 2023.
McLaren ultimately emerged victorious from this contractual dispute, confirming Piastri's place alongside Norris at the Woking-based squad.
Daniel Ricciardo's fate was sealed with Piastri's acquisition, being forced out of the team before the initial expiration of his contract.
Speaking with racingnews365, McLaren's CEO Zak Brown has revealed the decision to pursue Oscar Piastri originated from Team Principal Andreas Seidl, whose input was integral in the move:
"Andreas is the one I ultimately lean on to come forward with what he wants as a driver lineup.
"We both think very similar, I can't give any decisions that we haven't both agreed on, whether that's driver or other performance-related [areas].
"It was Andreas who recruited him [Piastri] and had that relationship with Mark Webber [Piastri's agent].
"Obviously, I've seen him race, [and] know his background, but credit to Andreas for finding him.
"His resume speaks for itself, and it was Andreas that put forward the recommendation, which I fully supported."
Few would dispute that Ricciardo's stint with McLaren failed to reach the levels of success many expected, despite the 33-year-old's special victory for the papaya squad in Monza.
When it was announced Ricciardo would join forces with McLaren, the move was almost unanimously acclaimed in the F1 world as a beneficial agreement for both parties.
Piastri will join McLaren under vastly different circumstances, forced to cope with greater scrutiny than most rookies in the sport's history have faced.
Whilst the youngster's achievements in junior categories are second to none, competing at the highest level and adapting to the intensity of Formula 1 will be an entirely different prospect.
Zak Brown has made clear that Piastri will be given the necessary time to adapt and grow in his rookie season:
"He'll be like anyone else, a rookie that has a degree of rustiness on him from not racing. But he's a huge talent, so we just need to give him time.
"What we need to do is not put too much pressure on him or get into comparisons; 'He's filling Daniel [Ricciardo's] shoes'... none of that stuff.
We just need to let him settle in and support him."
With the 2023 season approaching - and Alpine seemingly unwilling to release Piastri to McLaren early - it remains to be seen how successfully the 21-year-old will adapt to his new environment.