“I’ll be ready” – Piastri confident his own F1 seat is close

AUSTRALIAN Alpine reserve driver Oscar Piastri has said he’s ready to race in Formula 1 if he gets the call-up, and hopes to win a seat of his own as soon as next year.

The 20-year-old won the Formula 3 and Formula 2 drivers’ championships in 2020 and 2021, but won’t race as often this year as he enters the next phase of his career.

He will support two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and French driver Esteban Ocon, who placed 10th and 11th respectively in last season’s F1 championship.

“I’m basically the third driver, or the back-up driver in case Alonso or Ocon get sick, or injured,” Piastri said on SEN Breakfast.

“I’m there waiting, at the ready. In terms of on-track results, I’ve basically done everything that I can already, so it’s just a bit of a waiting game now.

“I can still try to prove myself off the track. I’m working hard in the simulator this year, trying to learn as much as I can from the team and make a good impression.”

Piastri may not get the opportunity to compete in an F1 race this calendar year, but feels his move may be vindicated by the resources he can now tap into.

“It’s a bit of an odd situation, winning three championships and then basically having to take a year off from racing,” he said.

“It’s odd, the way things work, but there are still a lot of ways I can try to prove myself.

“I’ll be doing quite a few test days in the 2021 Alpine F1 car. So while I won’t be racing I’ve still got some driving lined up, which is very cool.

“And obviously in an F1 car, which is pretty special. It’s a bit of a shift, but at the same time I’m still trying to do everything I can do in my power to prove why I should be in F1.

“I’m still pushing as hard as I can, wherever I can, to show why I deserve to be there.”

His first test day won’t be his first exposure to an F1 build, however.

After Piastri joined the Renault Sport Academy (rebranded to Alpine in 2021) two years ago and went on to win the F3 championship, he was awarded a test in the then-Renault car.

“It’s just a completely different beast,” he said.

“It’s such a big step up in everything – power, grip, downforce. It’s just nuts, the car has so much grip it just sticks at all the corners.

“It sticks until it doesn’t stick, it doesn’t like sliding at all, so you’ve got to catch it pretty quickly if it lets go… but generally you can push it very, very hard to get to that point.

“As a racing driver, it’s probably the best feeling you can have, to try and push as hard as you can through the corners and the car just sticks.”

The Melburnian’s progression seems almost too good to be true, more linear than anyone could reasonably expect of themselves.

“I think it’s surprised myself as much as anybody, how well the last three years went,” Piastri said.

“Initially our plan was to do two years of F3 and two years of F2, which was a four-year plan, and I ended up doing it in two years.

“It went through a lot quicker than I expected, and I guess Alpine also didn’t expect it either. I’m confident they’ll be able to find me a spot in F1 for next year, hopefully.”

So, could Piastri find himself behind the wheel when the Australian Grand Prix is held in his home town in early April?

“I wouldn’t rule it out, that’s why I’m a reserve driver!” he said.

“We’ll see, I don’t wish any bad health or injuries on anybody, but if I get a seat that’s good for me, and a good chance to prove myself.

“I’ve wanted to be an F1 driver since I was a little kid. The opportunity to do that, especially at Melbourne, would be a bit of a shock and a bit of pressure, but it would be very, very, very cool.

“I don’t know, we’ll see how it goes. If I get the phone call, I’ll be ready.”

Piastri hopes for a smooth start to life on the road with Alonso and Ocon, having already begun to forge a friendship with the former.

“I’ve spent a little bit of time speaking to him already,” Piastri said.

“I went to the Qatar Grand Prix last year and basically did not quite the full reserve driver role but sat in on all the meetings and briefings.

“I learned how he and Esteban went about F1, and went about making the car quicker. You learn pretty quickly why these guys are at the top, and why Fernando is a two-time world champion.

“I’m looking forward to it, and hopefully I can try to learn as much as I can off him this year, and translate it into my own career in the near-future.”

The 2022 Formula 1 season will commence in Bahrain on 20 March, and finish in Abu Dhabi on 20 November.

 

– BY NATHAN JOHN