McLaren can now call on Alpine reserve driver Oscar Piastri if they need to replace Daniel Ricciardo or Lando Norris after a new deal has been agreed between the two teams.
The British team already has an agreement with Mercedes that allows them to take Stoffel Vandorn or Nyck de Vries on loan.
INTERVIEW: Oscar Piastri on why his year on the sidelines is Alpine’s statement of intent
And they also have an agreement with former Force India driver Paul Di Resta to act as a replacement as much as possible.
After negotiations with Alpine that are believed to have gone on for several weeks, an agreement was reached to allow Piastri to join this pool of reserves.
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“In the spirit of providing the best possible racing experience to our group of young talents, we have agreed that McLaren may call on BWT Alpine F1 Team reserve driver Oscar Piastri in the event that one of their drivers is unable to race,” Alpine tweeted.
Daniel Ricciardo is currently in isolation after testing positive for Covid-19. This ruled him out of the official pre-season testing in Bahrain, but he is feeling better and is expected to be able to take part in the season opener at the same stadium next weekend.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo tests positive for Covid-19 but must be released in time for the Bahrain Grand Prix
It is clear that the news that Piastri could be provided if McLaren demands him is not a reaction to Ricciardo’s absence.
Piastri, who won the F2 championship last year, is not full-time this season, instead duplicating two-time champion Fernando Alonso and teammate Esteban Ocon at Alpine.
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