The F1 junior that has run out of places to prove himself

In Australia there is a saying: “give it a red hot crack", which roughly translates to “give it your all”. This attitude epitomises the approach of newly crowned Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri.

Not only has this talent from Melbourne given it “a red hot crack”, he’s exceeded even his own wildest expectations, ripping up the junior single-seater record books to win an unprecedented trio of Formula Renault Eurocup (2019), FIA Formula 3 (2020) and F2 titles in consecutive years.

In fact the way he lifted the F2 title in Abu Dhabi perfectly sums up that Aussie attitude. The Prema driver only needed to score six points in race one but instead went for it, climbing from 10th to third to rack up a 10th podium of the season. Then, title in hand, in what will likely be his last competitive race for at least a year as he takes on a reserve role at the Alpine Formula 1 team, he claimed a sixth victory of the season in the feature race.

“The way I was looking at it was I had to score six points or something, so I was willing to risk it for that," he says after securing the title in race one at Abu Dhabi. “I really wanted to get on the podium, because why not try and finish as high as you can and all? To come back to the podium celebrations and celebrate with the team, that was on my mind in the race. I really wanted to go for it and I felt I had the pace.

“I really wanted to go out with a win in my last race, and the best way to enjoy it is by winning,” the 20-year-old added.

Such performances have inevitably drawn comparisons with Charles Leclerc and George Russell, the last drivers to win back-to-back F3 and F2 titles. But where his predecessors stepped straight into F1 race seats with Alfa Romeo in 2018 and Williams in 2019 respectively, the door has only been opened a crack for Piastri, who will spend next year on the racing sidelines.

Oscar Piastri, Prema Racing

Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Timing is everything when climbing the junior single-seater ladder and it has not played in the Alpine Academy driver’s favour in 2021. The French team is without a position to place arguably the most sought after junior driver on the market, with current drivers Esteban Ocon tied to a long-term deal and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso under contract until the end of next year.

In many ways, Piastri has been too successful. It was only in 2014 that the young Aussie started out on this rapid journey in his domestic karting scene before making the big leap - not to be underestimated for drivers from the Antipodes - to racing cars first in the UAE Formula 4 championship before finishing runner-up in the 2017 British F4 Championship.

It took him two attempts to win the Formula Renault Eurocup before his dream back-to-back F3 and F2 successes - which didn't follow the script, as two years in each category were initially tabled.

"I’d be pretty annoyed, for a PG version of my comments, if I wasn’t on the [F1] grid in 2023 because I have run out of things to prove myself with" Oscar Piastri

Piastri’s meteoric rise poses a perhaps interesting problem for Alpine for 2023. Does it stick with a 40-something Alonso and risk losing one of the best juniors to have graced the F1 feeder series? Or does the team has another plan up its sleeve to place Piastri elsewhere while keeping him on his books?

Piastri is in no mood to wait any longer than he has to, admitting that he would be frustrated - to put it mildly  - if he’s not landed an F1 race seat for 2023.

“I have certainly done everything in my power to present my case for an F1 race seat,” says Piastri, who is managed by fellow countryman and nine-time F1 race winner Mark Webber. “I think I said at the beginning of last year or this year, I thought results could barge my way into a race seat somewhere, [but] clearly that has not worked out.

“Of course it is a bit disappointing I won’t be making the jump directly and I really, really hope that I’m on the grid in 2023. I’d be pretty annoyed, for a PG version of my comments, if I wasn’t on the grid in 2023 because I have run out of things to prove myself with.”

Oscar Piastri, Prema Racing

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

His attitude could be seen as arrogance, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Piastri harbours plenty of confidence, but delivers it in a way that doesn’t comes across as conceited. It does also help that he has the results in his pocket to support those statements and he quite rightly should be in a F1 race seat next year, let in 2023.

It would be hard for a team not to be impressed by Piastri, who appears the complete package. Fast and talented behind the wheel, he speaks eloquently, has a sense of humour and is already a hit with fans on social media.

He’s not short of quips either, attributing his habit of eating ice cream or sorbet for dessert the night before qualifying as the reason for his streak of five F2 poles, or that he hopes to be “champion of sitting on a couch next year”. He’s a box office character and will fit right in with F1’s current crop.

Choice of desserts and magic ice cream talk aside, it’s interesting to drill down into the secrets behind Piastri’s success. By his own admission, his run to the F3 title was far more stressful than his F2 campaign. That F3 crown came in a tense final round where he just about managed to see off Theo Pourchaire and Logan Sargeant to claim the championship.

This season has been more straightforward, although that’s not to do a disservice to his rivals. Third year UNI-Virtuosi driver Guanyu Zhou, who will graduate to F1 next year to partner Valtteri Bottas at Alfa Romeo, came quickly out of the blocks before suffering a mid-season dip in form. A strong end to the season helped Piastri’s Prema team-mate Robert Shwartzman secure the runner-up spot, but it is fair to say there perhaps hasn’t been the pressure in the title race certainly compared to last year in F3.

All the same, he says this F2 title is his best championship win to date and that a culmination of the last two years work has delivered this triumph.

“I think this is the best championship by far and by a long way,” he says. “Firstly it was much less stressful than last year - it was very nice, and I’m sure my mum will appreciate that as well! I think this year has a been quite a culmination of the last two years, combining my strengths from both of those years.

Race winner Oscar Piastri, Prema Racing

Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd

“In Eurocup my pace was good [but] I lacked a bit of consistency and I was making some mistakes. In F3, I probably lack[ed] a bit of pace over one lap, but my consistency really saved it for me and staying strong through those tough times as we had a lot of issues last year.

“I think this year has been the prefect storm of the two previous championships and it has been the most dominant by far. This F2 championship is definitely at the top of my list.”

Analysing what has made 2021 so successful, Piastri reflects on pre-season testing where he and his Prema engineers worked on extracting the best one lap pace and being comfortable in the car. Qualifying has been a key element of the Australian’s campaign, despite F2’s (ultimately short-lived) adoption of two reverse grids per weekend for this year. Netting five consecutive pole positions from the eight rounds, beginning at Silverstone in July, has provided the best start berth to claiming the big points on offer in feature races.

“I don’t think there has been a secret to be honest,” he says. “I don’t think I have massively revolutionised how I am going about my racing. I’m still trying to do the same thing.

"This year has been the prefect storm of the two previous championship and it has been the most dominant by far. This F2 championship is definitely at the top of my list" Oscar Piastri

“I think at the beginning of the season we were having good moments and flashes of brilliance, but not all coming together on a weekend. I think where that changed was Monza when we converted pole into a feature race win.

"My understanding of the F2 car is far greater than what I had in F3 and part of that was knowing that last year Prema didn’t qualify on the front row with Mick [Schumacher, 2020 F2 champion] or Robert, so we knew that was a focus point and then in testing we made sure that was a big focus point.

“I think those goals to work on, rather than just jumping in a car and trying to be quick, I think that has helped with my understanding of the car and I think that has been the big key. I just feel really comfortable in the car and when you feel comfortable, it leaves other capacity to focus on other things that are going on in the races.”

Oscar Piastri, Prema Racing, leads Matteo Nannini, Campos Racing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

The sight of Piastri scoring pole positions, race wins and pulling off stunning overtakes will be absent next year as he focuses on his reserve driver role at Alpine, which will include an extensive testing programme in the team’s 2021 F1 car. He’ll still be ever-present in the F1 paddock ensuring nobody forgets his face. But while he admits it will hurt not to be racing in 2022, he is wise to know that dwelling on a negative isn’t going to help him achieve his dream.

“I think next year I have got a very good opportunity with Alpine to transition to the F1 world, obviously without the driving,” he adds. “I will be attending all of the flyway races and experiencing the hectic calendar of the F1 world - and a lot of work in the sim - so I won’t be spending that much time on the couch. It will be a busy year and it is a fantastic opportunity.

“Of course it’s not quite the ultimate goal I wanted for next year. But throughout my racing career I have done well in controlling the things I can control and that is not something I can control. I will try my best for Alpine to prove why I should be on the grid and hopefully it leads to a seat [in 2023].

“It’s a bit disappointing to be racing nothing next year, or not in F1 anyway. Of course it will hurt inevitably when the racing season starts back up again next year and I’m not in a seat, but that is just the way motorsport rolls sometimes. Whilst I can still get annoyed about it, it’s not going to help me at all. I will try and focus on doing the best job I can next year of presenting my case even further.”

Unfortunately in life there are no guarantees, which Piastri is fully aware of. He admits there are no guarantees for 2023.

“At the moment I’m just focusing on the reserve driver role for next year and we will see what 2023 brings,” he says. “I really want to be on the grid in 2023 and I feel like my results have deserved it. Hopefully my results up until this point mean I can’t be overlooked for another year.”

Sadly it appears the motorsport world will be denied a chance to see Piastri race next season. But surely that F1 career is just on ice for now.

Race winner Oscar Piastri, Prema Racing

Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd