Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Alpine

  • Oscar Piastri Alpines Reserve

    It has been announced that Oscar Piastri who is currently leading the Formula 2 Championship will be Alpines Reserve Driver in 2022.

    Oscar has been apart of the Alpine Academy since January 2020 and after securing the Formula 3 Championship, he was rewarded with a young drivers test in Bahrain.

    Oscar has had a brilliant year in F2 so far and still has two rounds remaining! His racked up 178 points which include, one sprint race win, two feature race wins, five podiums and three pole positions with two rounds left.

    Last year saw Piastri take the Formula 3 title in his rookie season with two wins and six podiums. He is on course to emulate Leclerc and Russell by winning the title at the first time of asking, this would be Oscars third title in a row where he won the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019.

    Discussing the promotions Piastri says: “I’m super excited to be joining Alpine F1 Team as Reserve Driver. I’m looking forward to being much more involved with the team and contributing to its intended success next season. The Reserve Driver role is the next step towards my aim for a race seat in 2023, which is very exciting. I’ve proved myself in the junior formulas over the last couple of years and feel like I’m ready for Formula 1 now along with the trackside experience at race weekends, we will put together a substantial test programme in order to keep developing myself to grow even more prepared for a race seat. I’m very thankful to Alpine for their support.”

    “We’ve enjoyed two very successful seasons together in the Academy and I’m grateful for the faith they’ve put in me for this next step with an eye on a bigger future. My focus now is finishing the Formula 2 Championship in the best possible way with Prema and I’m looking forward to being back in the car and pushing hard on track.”

    Laurent Rossi said: “Oscar’s natural talent is clear to see, so we’re very proud and privileged to have him as part of our team as our Reserve Driver from next year. Not only does Oscar have the on-track skills, as demonstrated over the last couple of years in the junior categories, but also the maturity and composure that makes him really stand out from the rest. At Enstone, he has been a real asset to the team as he has aided the simulator and testing programme and I am certain he will continue to do so in his new role.”

    “The next step will be to consistently attend Grands Prix to fully integrate with the race team, learn what is expected of an F1 driver and be ready for when the opportunity comes. In addition, we look forward to having Oscar’s input and expertise in driving the team forwards next year.”

    My Opinion-

    I think Oscar is a great driver, he is always so determined and you can see how much he wants a Formula 1 seat in 2023. He is happy to take this role on which I’m sure will benefit him in the future and the team too, it’s good he has something already planned for next season!

    It is a bit gutting though thinking that he doesn’t have a seat next year, but I’m sure Alpine will be wanting to snap him up in 2023 before any other teams try to.

  • Alonso extends contract with Alpine

    It has been confirmed that two-time world champ, Fernando Alonso will be staying with Alpine for the 2022 season, it is the only team he had discussions with for next year.

    Alonso came back into F1 this year after a two year break and joint Alpine where he one his two world titles. His contract for this year was just a one plus one (He had an option to extend for another year, which he now has).

    The Spaniard, hasn’t had the best season so far he only managed to score five points in the first 5 races but things are starting to slowly look better for him, he scored 8 points in Baku, 6 in Silverstone and 12 in Hungary whilst also defending off Lewis Hamilton to secure his team-mate Esteban Ocon his first win in F1. It will be interesting to see how he does the second half of the season…

    What would be next for him?

    If he chose not to stay, it is more than likely he would aim for Indy 500 and go for the triple crown which includes winning the Le Mans 24 Hours, F1 World Championship and the Indianapolis 500.

    My Opinion-

    I’m not surprised by this at all, I think its the right decision for both Alonso and Alpine especially with the regulation changes coming in next year, it will be helpful to have two drivers who know the team well.

  • Ocon to stay with Alpine

    It’s been confirmed on the eve of the French Grand Prix, that Esteban Ocon will be staying with french team Alpine till the end of 2024.

    Ocon joined the team when they were known as Renault at the start of the 2020 campaign, he scored his maiden F1 podium in Bahrain. This season though he has outperformed his double world champion team mate Fernando Alonso by scoring points four times in six Grand Prix.

    The team’s CEO Laurent Rossi said: “We are very proud to retain Esteban as part of the Alpine family. Since returning to the team in 2020, Esteban has grown in confidence and stature to deliver consistently good results and help develop the car with the team. We have every confidence in Esteban to help drive the team and the brand to the next level and meet its long-term objectives. Esteban is an asset for us beyond F1 as he is deeply involved in the Alpine global project.”

    My Opinion-

    I had a feeling Ocon was going to re-sign with Alpine, as it now seems that his getting comfortable with the team and the car. I do think it’s a good move from both Ocon and Alpine, it seems they work well together and that they look towards the future and hopefully fighting for championships. Also I think it’s nice it got announced on the week of his and his teams home race too, especially as theres fans there it makes it all a bit more special.

  • The Mid Field Battle

    The mid field battle is always the best, there’s always drama on and off the track, last year we had the mid field battle being McLaren, Racing point and Renault.

    McLaren ended up third last year in the constructors championship after a strong season, they are eventually making their way back up to the top to fight for the championship…

    Will it be the same three battling again or will McLaren be taking the fight to Red Bull?

    I personally hope that they do take the fight to Red Bull. I want to see the McLaren boys up on the podium more and fighting for wins! Although I do think they have more of an advantage as they now have Daniel Ricciardo and Lando had a strong season last year

    It will be interesting to see how Alpine and Aston Martin do this year, obviously they both have two drivers who weren’t in their team last year so it may set them back a little bit as they won’t be use to the car.

    If pre-season testing is anything to go by McLaren were very quick and it seemed Daniel settled in quickly. Aston Martin had quite a few problems over the course of the weekend. And Alpine wasn’t actually that bad, I thought they would of been worse to be honest…

    I think it’s going to be a very close season this year especially because of how many races there are, we could see a variety of drivers on the podium this year…

    Only one more week to go till the first race!