Alpine will consider whether Piastri should replace Alonso in 2023 after Silverstone
Otmar Szafnauer declared that the decision between Oscar Piastri and Fernando Alonso would not be made before the British Grand Prix.
A double world champion and an extremely talented young driver. Alpine will have to think long and hard about choosing between Piastri or Alonso to accompany Esteban Ocon next season.
Oscar Piastri, champion of F3 and F2 in two years, seems to be one of those generational drivers that we rarely see in F1. To confirm this potential, the young Australian will have to find a spot among the 20 cars on the grid. If it’s not with the French team, it could be elsewhere as Laurent Rossi had declared. (Source: Alpine could loan Oscar Piastri in 2023)
Otmar Szafnauer stated that a decision will not be made before the British Grand Prix, which will take place in early July. We haven’t thought about it yet because it’s a bit early. But we will surely discuss it around Silverstone.
Like Laurent Rossi, Otmar Szafnauer leaves the door open to what could be called a loan to another team, while waiting for a spot to become available at Alpine. In the past, when McLaren came to us and asked, “Hey, can we use [Piastri] as a reserve driver?”, we said yes. The reason being that the more he can occupy a seat instead of sitting on the bench, the better it is. So we would have this strategic plan in mind.
In the face of rumors of Latifi being replaced by Piastri at Williams, Szafnauer remains cautious. « I haven’t thought deeply about it yet. I don’t know what’s going on at Williams, but I’ve heard the rumors. […] But as for Williams, I don’t know. »
