Button: Piastri wrong 'to make enemies' this early in his career

F1 world champion Jenson Button believes Oscar Piastri has put himself in a tricky situation by rejecting Alpine, insisting "you can’t make enemies this early in your career".

Piastri, who won the FIA F3 and F2 championships in 2020 and 2021, is contracted to Alpine's junior academy and was earmarked by the Enstone squad as Fernando Alonso's replacement for 2023.

But the 21-year-old has rejected Alpine's offer and opted to take his skills to McLaren.

With Alpine claiming it has a valid contract with Piastri for 2023, the driver's case was submitted to the expertise of the lawyers of the FIA's Contract Recognition Board earlier this week.

The outcome of that review is expected to be known any time now.

Button isn't unfamiliar with the governing body's CRB, with the Briton the subject of a contract assessment back in 2005 when he attempted to leave BAR for Williams.

"I’ve actually been through this situation before," Button told Sky Sports News.

"I wanted to leave the team and go to another team because that team was a manufacturer and I felt that was what I needed to do for my career.

"I’ve made the mistakes before, I was a few years into my Formula 1 career when I made that mistake.

"The Contract Recognition Board decided against me moving so I stayed with BAR, which became Honda, which became Brawn. It was the right decision."

• Read also: McLaren has 'variety of options' outside of Piastri

A big distinction between Button's case back in the day and the current affair involving Piastri is that the latter has yet to even race in Formula 1.

"For Oscar, it’s very different. He’s not even raced in a Formula 1 car," added the former McLaren charger.

"Alpine has funded his development as a driver and now it’s like ‘You know what, I actually want to go to them because they’re better for my career’.

"It’s a tricky situation, but you can’t make enemies this early in your career."

Many believe that if the CRB delivers an assessment in favour of Alpine, that team and driver will still go their separate ways. But Button believes that both parties, if compelled to work with each other, should just get on with it.

"With Piastri, if he has to race at Alpine, he has to race at Alpine," he said. "They’ll get over it, he’s a very quick driver.

"Hopefully he’s got the right manager in Mark Webber that will help him knuckle down and work hard and they can get past this mess that they’ve found themselves in.

"He has to, otherwise his career is over. I don’t know if Alpine want him in the team now, but if the CRB says that’s the direction you have to go, they got to make the best of it."

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