With Oscar Piastri on course to claiming back-to-back-to-back Championship titles in three different series’ so why is the hottest young prospect in motorsport facing a snub from Formula 1?
The 20-year-old Australian has proven his talent in recent years, claiming both the Formula Renault Eurocup and FIA F3 Driver’s Championships, whilst looking on route to claim the F2 crown with only 2 weekends remaining in the season.
And just a reminder that the last two drivers to win both Formula 3 and then Formula 2 championships were Charles Leclerc and George Russell. Not bad company there then.
But even with this recent run of success separating himself from the rest as the best driver of his age demographic, it looks likely that Piastri will not have a seat in Formula One next year. But why is this?
One glaringly obvious reason is money. Finance plays such a huge reason for why certain rookies are given the opportunity of promotion to Formula One, with a far less than convincing CV than that of Piastri.
This case could be argued with a likely candidate to take the final Alfa Romeo seat for 2022, Chinese driver Guanyu Zhou. Although Zhou currently sits second in the F2 standings this season, his resume compared to Piastri doesn’t match up at all.
So this leads to my point about money and motorsport. It is reported that Zhou, who would become the first Chinese driver to race in Formula One, has 30 million pounds in backing for the 2022 season.
This sort of financial backing leaves teams such as Alfa Romeo with the impossible decision of turning down a driver with that amount of backing, whilst also being a good driver.
So for young drivers who do not have this backing such as Piastri, and recently 2019 F2 champion Nyck De Vries, the chance to race at the pinnacle of motorsport is still unattainable.
This leads to the question of well what next for Oscar Piastri? He recently spoke to reporters stating: “I really don’t know, is the honest answer. There’s one spot left, there’s a hell of a lot of people trying to get it.
“I’ll be honest, the chances are very slim, but for my own sake I don’t want to give up hope yet. I still want to make a statement on track.
“It’s been a tough few weeks to be honest, watching all those seats fill up, but there’s still that one left and Alfa have all the time in the world to decide who they put in. So who knows? I have no idea.”
However, with this acceptance of struggling to get a seat for 2021, whilst potentially having some joy with being a reserve driver for Alpine, Piastri has discussed what he can do to one day land that elusive F1 contract as a main driver.
“Most likely it would lead to a year on the sidelines, which is never ideal, but it’s not the first person it’d happen to and won’t be the last.
“It’s not ideal to not be racing, as that’s what we love to do as racing drivers naturally, but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to take if it leads to a race seat for the following year.”
So what do you think about Oscar Piastri, is it fair that he may not be given a seat in Formula One next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.