Former Red Bull starlet Mark Webber insists that his fellow countryman Oscar Piastri has to be on the F1 grid by 2023.
Oscar Piastri has become a big name in the world of motorsports following his rapid rise to the top. The young Australian driver has a made a name for himself in the junior racing series and he is closer than ever to having his F1 dream come true.
The 20 year old won 3 Titles in the last 3 years; the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019, FIA F3 Championship in 2020 and most recently, the FIA F2 Championship this year.
Not many people can boast such an incredible junior career in the world of racing. However, in spite of his success, the Melbourne born driver will not be in F1 next season.
Piastri was linked to Alfa Romeo for a 2022 seat but it ended up falling in the hands of Chinese driver Guanyu Zhou. Instead, Piastri will take up the role of reserve driver at Alpine.
Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber has been Piastri’s mentor for quite some time now. The 9-time Grand Prix winner has frequently praised the young star, and has recently shared his opinion on his protegee’s F1 future.
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Oscar Piastri is looking forward to impress his Alpine bosses in 2022, says Webber
Webber admitted that 2023 is the target year for Piastri’s entry into F1.
“It’s the latest that has to happen. I think we’re all aware of that. So yeah, ‘23 is the latest, but there could be opportunities of course before that, which you never know.” said Webber.
“He’s in a good position. He’s going to get a lot of mileage next year and he’s of course highly motivated and hungry.”
“He couldn’t have done a great deal more. It was really the way he dominated the Formula 2 Championship this year.” the 45 year old continued.
“We all know, there’s no one questioning that he deserves to go up to Formula 1 next year, but it’s just the way the market rolled out. There just wasn’t many seats available. The rotation just wasn’t there.”
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Could Piastri replace Esteban Ocon or Fernando Alonso at Alpine?
Ocon and Alonso’s partnership at Alpine has been fairly strong over the course of the 2021 season. The former signed a long term contract with the French team that keeps him in Enstone till at least 2024.
Alonso on the other hand is now 40 years old, but is still putting in stellar performances week in week out. How Piastri will fit in despite the current driver line-up is yet to be seen.
Mark Webber however, feels that nothing in F1 can be taken for granted. He expects Piastri to be ready for F1 action whenever his team calls him up.
“Those guys are performing well, but you never know how well until someone comes in and does a different job, right? That’ll be measured throughout the year. You’ll see how their appetite is.” said the Aussie.
“Esteban is on a long contract there, Fernando is performing well. But of course, Alpine are under no illusions that the ball is firmly in their court. The pressure is on them to find options and make decisions for Oscar’s career. Because he’s delivered everything they’ve asked him to.”
“It’s up to them to now work with Oscar and ourselves to make sure that in ‘23, he’s on the grid at the first race.” Webber concluded.
