Oscar Piastri will become Alpine’s reserve driver for 2022, taking a giant step towards joining F1 in the process.
The 20-year old became part of the Alpine academy last season. He won the 2019 Renault Eurocup series, and won F3 in his first season in 2020.
Currently, the Australian is leading the F2 championship standings. He has three wins, seven podiums and three pole positions to his name. Now it has been announced that Piastri will become Alpine’s reserve driver for 2022.
“I’m super excited to be joining Alpine F1 Team as Reserve Driver,” he told the official F1 website.
“I’m looking forward to being much more involved with the team and contributing to its intended success next season.
“The Reserve Driver role is the next step towards my aim for a race seat in 2023, which is very exciting. I’ve proved myself in the junior formulas over the last couple of years and feel like I’m ready for Formula 1 now along with the trackside experience at race weekends.
“We will put together a substantial test programme in order to keep developing myself to grow even more prepared for a race seat. I’m very thankful to Alpine for their support.
“We’ve enjoyed two very successful seasons together in the Academy and I’m grateful for the faith they’ve put in me for this next step with an eye on a bigger future.
“My focus now is finishing the Formula 2 Championship in the best possible way with Prema and I’m looking forward to being back in the car and pushing hard on track,” he concluded.
Looking forward to 2022
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi gave his thoughts on Piastri’s new role, and praised the youngster.
“Oscar’s natural talent is clear to see, so we’re very proud and privileged to have him as part of our team as our Reserve Driver from next year,” he said.
“Not only does Oscar have the on-track skills, as demonstrated over the last couple of years in the junior categories, but also the maturity and composure that makes him really stand out from the rest.”
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