Piastri will be Alpine’s reserve driver in 2022
The Australian driver is the new reserve driver for the French team Alpine in 2022. Currently leading the Formula 2 championship, his promotion to the rank of reserve driver in F1 next year allows him to get closer to a potential seat in 2023.
Oscar Piastri won the Formula 3 championship last season and is well on his way to following up with a victory in the F2 championship this year. The 20-year-old driver currently leads Guanyu Zhou by 36 points with just a few races left. His decision to join the Alpine team as a reserve driver is a logical next step in his career.
« The role of reserve driver is the next step towards my goal of a seat in F1 in 2023, which is very exciting. I have proven myself in junior formulas (F2, F3) over the past two years and I feel ready for Formula 1 now,” Piastri said.
Indeed, if the Australian wins the Formula 2 championship, he will not be able to participate in it again the following year, such is the rule for those who are winners in F2. The next step would have been to see Piastri move up to F1 as soon as 2022, but unfortunately for him, all teams have already confirmed their drivers for next year. The Australian was indeed among the options to join Alfa Romeo next year, but Guanyu Zhou was preferred over Piastri.
