03/08/2022
NEWS STORY
Alpine has confirmed that 21-year-old reserve driver Oscar Piastri will be Esteban Ocon's teammate starting from 2023.
Piastri has been a valued member of the Alpine family for the past four years. The Melbournian joined the Alpine Academy following his title win in the Formula Renault Eurocup Championship in 2019.
With support and guidance from the Academy, he went on to win the 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship before making it an unprecedented three drivers' titles in a row by winning the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2021.
In doing so he became only the third driver to secure back-to-back Drivers' Championships across Formula 2 and Formula 3; following only Charles Leclerc and George Russell.
As part of his formative F1 journey, Piastri was first promoted to Alpine's reserve driver at the start of the 2022 season and has since been undergoing, under the team's guidance and its full financial support, an intensive and comprehensive training programme of private tests in the race-winning A521, the 2021 Alpine F1 car, race support and simulator sessions to prepare him for the next big step into F1.
"Oscar is a bright and rare talent," said Otmar Szafnauer. "We are proud to have nurtured and supported him through the difficult pathways of the junior formulae. Through our collaboration over the past four years, we have seen him develop and mature into a driver who is more than capable of taking the step up to Formula 1.
"As our reserve driver he has been exposed to the team at the track, factory and testing where he has shown the maturity, promise and speed to ensure his promotion to our second seat alongside Esteban. Together, we believe the duo will give us the continuity we need to achieve our long-term goal of challenging for wins and championships."
Interestingly, at this time there is no comment from Piastri himself... almost as if, considering what Szafnauer was saying only a few hours earlier, Alpine is asserting its claim on the driver.