Door opens wider for Aussie young gun Oscar Piastri’s entry into F1

Aussie young gun Oscar Piastri’s path into F1 may become a little easier as his team entertains options to fast-track him onto the grid.

The door remains open for Oscar Piastri to slide onto the F1 grid soon as Alpine suggested it could offer him to another team in a loan deal that would help the young Aussie gain valuable experience and fast-track his development.

Piastri, 21, won last year’s Formula 2 championship and is considered an F1 driver-in-waiting. The only thing standing between him and lining up alongside Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton is opportunity.

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Piastri was named Alpine’s reserve driver for 2022 but Fernando Alonso said recently he has no intention of giving up his seat anytime soon, and Esteban Ocon has two years to run on his contract after this one, effectively blocking the young gun’s path to the top.

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi doesn’t want Piastri watching along from the sideline for too long though, and is open to options that may give him F1 experience without being lost to the team for good. One such option could be a loan deal to another team, as long as Piastri could return when it becomes time to replace Alonso or Ocon.

“We’re going to develop Oscar through the program, it doesn’t change anything,” Rossi told reporters.

“Then we’ll make sure that … it’s not a question of if, but when Oscar steps into Formula 1 he will be as ready as possible. That’s the only thing that matters to me.

“If it (a loan deal) is a solution that allows me to get him back at some point, I might think about it. I’m not opposed to the solution.

Oscar Piastri is tipped for big things. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

“You understand I want to develop Oscar, I don’t want to leave him sitting on the bench waiting forever.

“He needs to be ready when the day comes. And the day will come because he’s very talented, he’s very worthy of one of the top 20 seats here. And I do believe he has the potential of being a future world champion. I’m persuaded of that. So he needs to be trained as much as he can in the meantime.

“(A loan) always been a parameter for all of us. We knew last year that Fernando was performing. And it would be very surprising if suddenly during the winter he lost his magic.

“So let’s be realistic. It’s part of the scenarios we need to explore.”

Piastri is one of the brightest young prospects in motorsport and Rossi wants to ensure the Aussie rising star is at Alpine when the team (hopefully) starts challenging for world titles in the top tier of racing.

“I would love to have Oscar as my driver for the future Alpine when we get to the top of the podium,” Rossi said.

“For me the ideal scenario is that he wins races and championships with us. That’s what we’re going to try and achieve.”