“Oscar Piastri definitely deserved to compete in Formula 1″– Former IndyCar champion thinks F1 is broken because Alpine reserve driver couldn’t get a seat for 2022

Former IndyCar champion Will Power claims that Oscar Piastri not getting a seat in F1 this year shows that the system is broken.

Alpine’s driver academy product Oscar Piastri raised himself to prominence when he won the F2 championship in his rookie season. Yet, he didn’t get a seat in the new F1 grid for the 2022 season.

Instead, the second runner up, who was in his third season of F2, got an F1 seat with Alfa Romeo. Though, considerable financial backing helped the Chinese race driver land his promotion.

Thus, there was considerable outrage in F1 circles around his appointment. Former IndyCar champion Will Power has questioned Piastri not getting his seat in F1 in 2022. He claims that his compatriot is not getting a seat in the competition, which shows that the system is broken.

“Oscar Piastri definitely deserved to compete in Formula 1 by winning Formula 3 and Formula 2 back-to-back in his rookie seasons,” said Power as per Motorsport Turkey. “But the fact that he couldn’t find a seat for himself. It shows the system is broken in my opinion.”

Also read: Formula 2 Champion Oscar Piastri wins Autosport’s 2021 Rookie of the Year award ahead of Mick Schumacher and Romain Grosjean

Oscar Piastri can give a year on the sidelines

Piastri, after his F2 stint, got a call from Alpine to be their reserve driver for 2022. The Australian race driver since then has been a part of their contingent. He recently also drove the new Alpine in Barcelona.

Moreover, the young race driver was also a part of their car reveal. Last year, when the news broke out of him not getting an F1 seat and him resorting to a reserve role, Piastri replied that he is comfortable being on the sidelines for a year.

He intends to lean from Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon in the meantime. Piastri will dedicate his whole 2022 to Alpine, and for that, he hasn’t committed to any other racing series, unlike other drivers who had to settle with reserve drivers’ role.

Though, Piastri is confident that his time in F1 will come. This thought is also shared by other drivers on the grid-like Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo, who believes that Piastri just needs to be patient before his call comes.

Now, it only remains to be seen how Piastri’s fortunes will change in 2023. Undoubtedly, the Australian has to pray for a mega shakedown in the grid to get his shot.

Also read: Why F2 champion Oscar Piastri thinks he is not wasting time in 2022 as Alpine reserve driver