Oscar Piastri claimed a crucial pole position for the Qatar Sprint, beating George Russell and McLaren team mate Lando Norris to the top spot.
The Australian set the pace when it mattered most in Friday’s SQ3, sitting at the top of the times after both his flying laps, with his final benchmark of 1m 20.055s leaving him just 0.032s clear of Mercedes’ Russell.
Norris who holds a 24 point lead over Piastri and Max Verstappen ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, which means he can claim a maiden Formula 1 title this weekend, finished two-tenths further back after running wide at the last corner on his final effort.
The full top 10 are – Pole: Piastri, P2: Russell, P3: Norris, P4: Alosno, P5: Tsunoda, P6: Verstappen, P7: Antonelli, P8: Sainz, P9: Leclerc and P10: Albon.
What a result for Piastri! Exactly what he would’ve wanted going into this weekend, this will give him the momentum to continue the weekend strongly. A very good result for his teammate, Norris in P3, they both did well to beat Verstappen.
As for the Dutchman, he had been out-qualified by Tsunoda. The four time world champion qualified 6th and Tsunoda finished 5th. A decent result, but still a lot of work to do for Verstappen.
A great result for Russell, P2 for the Mercedes man, as for his team mate 7th for Antonelli, not the best result for the Italian but still a good enough result to get some good points!
P4 for Alonso! A great result for the Aston Martin driver, some good performances from Aston Martin over the past few race weekends!
A day to forget for Ferrari, Leclerc qualified 9th and Hamilton 18th. A horrible result for Hamilton, a lot of work for the Brit to do, whereas for Leclerc still in a good position to make some moves and be rewarded with points.
It’s been a good day, which is nice for a change. It’s been a day where things have clicked from the start and I think the Sprint Qualifying session went really well. I had a pretty big moment on my lap but it was just enough in the end so thanks to the team – it’s a great car and it’s looked really good this weekend so far. I’m pretty happy with that. Piastri on pole position.
McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix after both their cars were found not to comply with the technical regulations.
Post-race, the rearmost skid wear on both Mclaren MCL39 machines was found to be below the minimum 9mm thickness by technical delegates on inspection.
The matter was referred to the stewards, who subsequently disqualified both cars from the official result, with Norris having finished second and Piastri fourth.
As a result, race winner Max Verstappen has made a significant gain with regards to the 2025 Drivers’ Championship, as the Red Bull man now sits level on points with Oscar Piastri on 336. Lando Norris is 24 points ahead on 390 at the top of the standings with just two rounds of the season to go.
McLaren are not the first team to fall foul of skid block infringements this season, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg also disqualified from the Chinese and Bahrain Grand Prix respectively for similar transgressions.
With two Grand Prix and one Sprint remaining, there are 58 points on offer over the next two weekends to determine the outcome of the 2025 title.
Confirming the disqualifications of the McLaren pair, the stewards’ document stated that the skid blocks on both cars were “measured and found to be below the minimum thickness of 9mm specified under Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations. The rear skids were re-measured in the presence of the Stewards and the three McLaren representatives, and those measurements confirmed that the skids did not comply with the regulations. The relevant measurements were even lower than those measured originally by the Technical Delegate. It was also confirmed that McLaren had argued “mitigating circumstances existed in that there was additional and unexpected porpoising at this event, limited opportunity to test due to the weather on Day 1, and shortened practice sessions. While the stewards dismissed this, they added “the FIA noted that it strongly held the view that the breach was unintentional and that there was not a deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations”. The Stewards’ document.
Oscar Piastri has taken a victory in a hugely dramatic Dutch Grand Prix that saw McLaren teammate Lando Norris retire from the race due to a mechanical failure in the closing stages, marking a potentially seismic moment in the championship battle.
Piastri had made a good start from pole when the race got underway, the Australian going on to build a lead from Max Verstappen after the Red Bull had overtaken Norris early on in Lap 1. Norris, however, went on to retake the position and the pair settled into a 1-2 formation.
The race then faced a potential turn when the Safety Car was deployed after Lewis Hamilton hit the barriers on Lap 23, leading to a flurry of action in the pits. McLaren double-stacked their drivers and despite a slight delay for Norris, both cars maintained position.
Norris continued his chase of his team mate from there and – despite a second Safety Car after a collision between Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli that put the Ferrari out of the race – the fight looked to still be open as the race entered into its final stages.
However, everything changed when smoke started to emerge from Norris’ McLaren with just a few laps to go, forcing him to retire at the side of the track. A Safety Car phase played out which saw Piastri hold onto P1 from Verstappen in P2, and rounding out the top three is a first time podium sitter, Isack Hadjar!
The full top 10 are- P1: Piastri, P2: Verstappen, P3: Hadjar, P4: Russell, P5: Albon, P6: Bearman, P7: Stroll, P8: Alonso, P9: Tsunoda and P10: Ocon.
What a result for Piastri! His first grand slam aswell and he done it in a mighty fashion! This is exactly how he would want his second half of the season to start! As for Norris, very gutting as he was edging closer to catching Piastri, he will be wanting to move onto the next race weekend.
A good result for Verstappen! P2 at his home Grand Prix, I think that was the best he was going to get, but he will be happy with that result. As for Tsunoda, he managed to get in the points in P9, so a semi decent result.
Now the star of the show, Isack Hadjar, he started P4 and finished P3, the Frenchmans very first podium in his rookie season! Thoroughly deserved, if I do say so myself. He should be very proud of how far his come this season already.
A good result for Russell, P4 for him, not a bad result, shame he couldn’t get on the podium, but still a very good result. As for Antonelli it was a race to forget after he tangled with Leclerc and his race was basically over from there as he finished 16th.
P5 for Albon! A great result for Williams, a good chunk of points for the team which was needed as the mid-field battle is heating up!
Double points for Haas! P6 for Bearman which is his career best finish and Ocon finished in P10, a great result for the team.
Double points for Aston Martin too! P7 for Stroll, and P8 for Alonso, quite a good weekend for the team, they’ve had some good pace this weekend will be interesting to see if they can carry it on.
A weekend to forget for Ferrari, a double DNF which is unfortunate as they looked like they had pace this weekend too, they will be looking forward to the weekend as its their home Grand Prix.
Oscar Piastri claimed victory in the Belgian Grand Prix, holding off McLaren team mate and title rival Lando Norris in a wet-dry affair at Spa-Francorchamps to extend his Drivers’ Championship lead to 16 points.
Heavy rain ahead of the 44 lap race delayed proceedings by almost 80 minutes but once racing got underway on Lap 5, the crucial moment came immediately as Piastri got a better run on his team mate and polesitter through Eau Rouge.
The Australian’s run was so great he completed the pass along the Kemmel Straight well before the braking zone of Les Combes and thereafter managed a margin of roughly one second in the early running.
With the circuit having substantially dried and with track position, Piastri pitted on Lap 12 for the medium tyres with Norris forced to compete another lap, and after making his own stop the following tour for hard rubber, the Briton found himself nine seconds adrift.
The full top 10 are- P1: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Leclerc, P4: Verstappen, P5: Russell, P6: Albon, P7: Hamilton, P8: Lawson, P9: Bortoleto and P10: Gasly.
What a result for Oscar Piastri, he set his sights on the win and grabbed with both hands and didn’t look back, was a superb race from him. As for Norris, P2 for the Brit, a good result but I think he would be gutted not to get the win, however his teammate had the pace.
P3 for Leclerc, a lovely result from the Ferrari driver, felt like that podium was well deserved, he did have a bit of pressure from Verstappen but he kept him at bay. As for Lewis Hamilton, what a drive! Pitlane to P7 wow, he was on a mission, it was great to see and he got rewarded with some points.
As for Verstappen P4 for the Dutchman, a decent result, a shame he couldn’t get on the podium, but still a decent points haul.
P5 for Russell, nothing amazing from the Mercedes driver, apart from a little fight with Alex Albon over the position. As for Antonelli, a weekend to forget for him, P16 unfortunately, he seemed like he had no pace at all really which is a shame.
Points for Bortoleto! P9 for the Brazilian driver, he done well this weekend as Spa is a tricky circuit, especially more so in the rain.
Now not too long to wait until the next round as we have been treated to a double header, so this weekend we head to the Hungaroring for the Hungarian Grand Prix!
Oscar Piastri has further strengthened his championship lead by clinching a commanding victory in the Spanish Grand Prix, the Australian leading teammate Lando Norris in a McLaren 1-2 amid a dramatic end to the race.
Piastri made an excellent start from pole position, allowing the 24 year old to build an early lead from Verstappen who had overtaken Norris into Turn 1. Norris later retook the position – only for Verstappen to leapfrog both McLaren’s after the first pit stops, putting himself into P1.
This proved to brief, as the Dutchman pitted early for a second stop, handling the lead back to Piastri all of which triggered much intrigue over whether Verstappen would opt for a three stop strategy.
Verstappen did indeed embark on a three stop – but the whole picture was dramatically shaken up when a Safety Car was deployed in the latter stages after Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes pulled off track with a mechanical issue prompting most of the frontrunners to pit again.
The full top 10 are- P1: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Leclerc, P4: Russell, P5: Hulkenberg, P6: Hamilton, P7: Hadjar, P8: Gasly, P9: Alonso and P10: Verstappen.
A lovely result from McLaren, a 1-2 for the Papaya team, I don’t think they had anything to worry about as their pace was just incredible. Piastri kept it cool, calm and collected as always and produced a lovely drive.
P3 for Leclerc, an unexpected podium for the Ferrari driver, but sometimes being there when another driver makes a mistake is sometimes a good thing. As for his teammate, Hamilton finished 6th he didn’t have the best race, he seemed to struggle a lot but still managed to get some decent points.
P4 for Russell, a good result for the Mercedes driver finally after two bad race weekends. Unfortunately for his teammate, it was a horrible weekend, he went into the gravel with a mechanical issue saw him out of the race.
P5 for Hulkenberg! A lovely result for him and the team, a massive points haul! Hulkenberg was pulling off some lovely overtakes and that result is very well deserved.
P7 for Hadjar, another points finish for the young driver. As for his teammate, Lawson was just outside of the top 10. He finished in 11th.
Points for Fernando Alonso finally! P9 on home soil for the Spanish driver. He was also the only Aston Martin car on the grid yesterday, so a good result for the team.
Now we have a little break after a triple header, for Round 10, we are heading to Canada!
Oscar Piastri has grabbed his fourth pole position of the season during Qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, the championship leader beating McLaren teammate Lando Norris in the dying moment of the session.
After setting the pace across Q1 and Q2, Piastri lost out to Norris when the opening runs of Q3 took place, the Briton having snatched provisional pole. But it was advantage Piastri as the final flying laps came in, the Aussie putting in a 1m 11.546s to go 0.209s quicker.
Max Verstappen put in another solid performance to slot into third for Red Bull, while Mercedes’ George Russell set an identical lap time to the Dutchman but had to settle for fourth after crossing the line later.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Verstappen, P4: Russell, P5: Hamilton, P6: Antonelli, P7: Leclerc, P8: Gasly, P9: Hadjar and P10: Alonso.
A lovely result for McLaren, a 1-2 finish in qualifying for the team, which is the best result they would of wanted going into this weekend. They will want to grab another 1-2 in the race today, but who is favoured to win? And will team orders come into play?
A great result for Verstappen, keeping himself in the top 3. The Dutchman will be keeping close going into Turn 1 to see if he can go into the lead and try and grab as many points as he can for both championships. As for his teammate, Tsunoda qualified 20th… not a good result at all and no where near his teammate either, this is going to really hurt Red Bull in the Constructors’ if he doesn’t score points.
Lewis Hamilton qualifies 5th, a good result for the Ferrari driver, in a decent position to score a good amount of points too, maybe even a possible podium depending on strategies. As for his teammate, Leclerc qualified 7th, could’ve been a lot better but still in the top 10.
Russell had a much better qualifying compared to last week in Monaco, P4 for the Brit, he will be aiming for a podium today. So watch out for the battles from the Mercedes driver.
P9 for Isack Hadjar, the rookie driver loves a top 10 start! I feel like this is just expected now from the Racing Bulls driver.
A little mention to Gabriel Bortoleto, qualified in his highest position so far in P12, hopefully (fingers crossed) he can score his first points this weekend.
Oscar Piastri has strengthened his lead in the World Championship by clinching his fourth victory of the season at the Miami Grand Prix, the Australian leading home team mate Lando Norris making it a 1-2 for McLaren.
While Max Verstappen initially led away from pole, a battle with Norris saw the Briton run wide and drop down the order – letting Kimi Antonelli and Piastri through in the process. But as the laps ticked down – and Piastri overtook the Mercedes – Verstappen soon found himself under increasing pressure from the championship leader.
After Piastri eventually found a way past, a recovering Norris subsequently followed through into second, allowing the papaya cars to build up a sizeable gap at the front.
The full top 10 are – P1: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Russell, P4: Verstappen, P5: Albon, P6: Antonelli, P7: Leclerc, P8: Hamilton, P9: Sainz and P10: Tsunoda.
What a result for McLaren! A 1-2 for the papaya team, which is what they would’ve been aiming for, maybe not the order they expected but you’d rather it be your teammate than a rival. But one thing I will say is that Piastri has got pace this season, he is unstoppable at the moment, and if he carries on producing these results he will be a championship contender.
P3 for Russell! What a great result for the Mercedes driver, especially after his struggles this weekend, he came through the other side and managed to get the podium finish. As for Antonelli, he finished 6th, expected a little more from him to be honest, but still a very good weekend for the young driver.
P4 for Verstappen, a good result, however I did expect a podium from the Dutch driver, he was close to grabbing third from Russell towards the end of the race but it just wasn’t enough. As for Tsunoda, he finished the race in 10th, a point for Japanese driver, I did expect more from him to be fair and it’s a shame he wasn’t higher up in the points.
Now onto Williams, P5 for Albon! Beating a Mercedes, two Ferrari’s and a Red Bull! WOW, what a points haul aswell for Williams, it really is great to see them on the up.
A bit of a tough race for Ferrari, P7 for Leclerc and P8 for Hamilton, the latter having a somewhat disagreement on the radio with team orders, and in the end I think both drivers lost out on securing more points for the team.
Now onto the next race weekend, we have another weeks break and then we have another triple header where our first stop will be Italy for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix!
Oscar Piastri has picked up his third win of the season with an assured drive to victory in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the Australian driver becoming the new Drivers’ Championship leader in the process.
There was early drama as the race got underway, with pole sitter Max Verstappen and second-placed Piastri going wheel-to-wheel before Verstappen cut the apex into the first corner. While the Dutchman initially held the lead, a five second time penalty for the manoeuvre saw him drop behind the McLaren man after serving the penalty at his pit stop.
Lando Norris – embarked on a recovery drive from P10 – inherited the lead for some time as the frontrunners pitted, with the Briton having opted for a longer first stint by starting on the hard tyres. But Piastri took over P1 when his team mate stopped for medium rubber, the 24 year old going on to eke out an advantage at the front.
The full top 10 are- P1: Piastri, P2: Verstappen, P3: Leclerc, P4: Norris, P5: Russell, P6: Antonelli, P7: Hamilton, P8: Sainz, P9: Albon and P10: Hadjar.
What a result from Piastri! His third win of the season, and he did it in great style, cool, calm and collected! The Australian driver had such a strong weekend, he will be looking forward to the next race to continue this momentum. As for Lando Norris, P4, just narrowly missing out on a podium but a good recovery drive from the Brit.
A decent drive from Verstappen, a shame he couldn’t grab the win but going up against the McLaren it has got a lot more race pace than the Red Bull, plus he had a 5 second penalty from the incident with Piastri so that didn’t help his chances. As for his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, it was a day to forget… On Lap 1 he collided with his former team mate Gasly as both drivers hit the wall. While Gasly was out of the running in the Alpine, Tsunoda managed to limp back to the pits but it was quickly confirmed that he was out of the race.
Now onto the final podium finisher, Charles Leclerc, what a race for him! The first podium of the year for Ferrari (apart from the Sprint) a lovely drive from the Monegasque. They seemed to have pace this weekend, more than the Mercedes team. As for Hamilton he finished 7th, not the best but not the worst and he still scored points. It seems when he switched to the hard tyres he struggled on them which is no surprise as he has had this problem before.
Now onto the Mercedes drivers, 5th for Russell and 6th for Antonelli, not amazing from the Silver Arrows but there pace this weekend just wasn’t their to battle for podiums.
Double points for Williams! 8th for Sainz, his best finish in the Williams car so far. And 9th for Albono, overall a good weekend for the team, which they will be hoping for more of.
And our final points scorer is Isack Hadjar in 10th, the rookie is flying so far, another points finish.
Now the next race we have a little wait now, which is the 4th May and were headed to Miami for Round 6!
Oscar Piastri has become the first multiple race winner of the 2025 season by taking a sublime victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Australian driver putting in a cool and collected drive to seal P1 on his 50th start in F1 as well as marking McLaren’s first triumph in Sakhir.
After making a strong start from pole position – despite a close call from George Russell when the Mercedes driver locked up into Turn 1 – Piastri built a solid lead throughout the laps that followed.
While there was early trouble for team mate Lando Norris – who was hit with a five second time penalty for being out of position in his grid box – the McLarens again looked impressive as the race played out with the Brit working his way forwards.
And while the Australian’s position potentially looked under threat when a Safety Car emerged, the 24 year old made a clean getaway at the restart and went on to rebuild a gap in the laps that followed, eventually crossing the line with a 15 second lead.
The full top 10 are- P1: Piastri, P2: Russell, P3: Norris, P4: Leclerc, P5: Hamilton, P6: Verstappen, P7: Gasly, P8: Ocon, P9: Tsunoda and P10: Bearman.
What a drive from Oscar Piastri, that was such a strong drive from the Australian and a thoroughly deserved win! As for Norris, he bounced back from qualifying 6th to finish on the podium, I think he would’ve got 2nd if he didn’t have the 5 second penalty.
P2 for Russell, a lovely result from the Mercedes man! Another podium added to his tally which makes three podiums out of four races, making it his best ever start to a season. As for his teammate Antonelli finished just outside of the points in P11, during the race he was running in the points so hard luck for the rookie to not get any.
A good result for Ferrari, 4th for Leclerc and 5th for Hamilton. Unlucky for Leclerc to just miss out on the podium but the Ferrari is no match for the McLaren just yet… But it is still a good points haul for both drivers! I’m sure the podiums will come soon enough.
P6 for Verstappen, not the best result for the Dutch man, but he had a bit of a rubbish weekend. He struggled with the car a lot and it didn’t help that he had issues at both of his pit stops either. As for Tsunoda he finished ninth, first points for the Japanese driver in the Red Bull team.
P7 for the GAS Man, points on the board for the Alpine driver! Which is deserved after such a strong weekend for the team. This now means all teams have scored points already this season.
A double points finish for Haas, which is good to see, this now boosts the team up to 5th in the Constructors. So the team will be wanting to score as many points as possible as the constructors is very close.
Now for the next race week, we are on our third week of the triple header, where we head to Saudi Arabia for Round 5 of 24!
McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri grabbed pole position during Qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, getting the better of Mercedes rival George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in a thrilling conclusion.
Practice pace-setter McLaren had been in control through the Q1 and Q2 phases but had to work hard to remain at the top of the timesheets in Q3 – Piastri’s final 1m 29.841s lap putting him a couple of tenths up on Russell. Leclerc was another tenth and a half back in third.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Piastri, P2: Russell, P3: Leclerc, P4: Antonelli, P5: Gasly, P6: Norris, P7: Verstappen, P8: Sainz, P9: Hamilton and P10: Tsunoda.
What a lovely result from Piastri! Pole for the McLaren man, just what he would’ve wanted as he will be looking to grab his second win of the season. As for Norris, a bit of a shocker in 6th, however, he hasn’t lost out too much as he will be lining up next to Verstappen…
P2 and P4 for the Mercedes boys! A really strong finish from Russell and Antonelli, it is a track both drivers know well. However, they are going to be investigated after qualifying for a potential rule breach.
P3 for Leclerc, a much better result from the Monegasque and Ferrari, hopefully they can keep up the good result and turn it into a good points haul / a podium. As for Hamilton, he qualified, 9th, a semi-decent result for the Brit, could’ve been better for sure, especially as Leclerc qualified third but a decent result.
A mixed result for Red Bull, Verstappen 7th, he was complaining about brake issues throughout the session. As for Tsunoda he qualified 10th, not too bad, but a position where he can improve and grab some points.
P8 for Carlos Sainz, a lovely result for the Spanish driver, his best result in the Williams so far! Hopefully he can get some points this weekend.
One driver I haven’t mentioned is Mr Pierre Gaslyyyy, putting his Alpine in P5! A lovely result from him and the team, they definitely seem to have improved from last season. Hopefully a good points haul from the Frenchman to help in the Constructors.
Oscar Piastri bounced back from the disappointment of his late-race mistake at last week’s 2025 season opener in Australia by converting pole position into an assured victory during the Chinese Grand Prix – leading home team mate Lando Norris for a McLaren 1-2.
Piastri controlled Sunday’s 56 lap race at the Shanghai International Circuit from start to finish, never putting a foot wrong in a much calmer second race of the season that centred around whether drivers would complete one or two pit stops.
As it transpired, the first five finishes and the vast majority of the field only visited the pits once, with Piastri building and managing a gap back to Norris across their two stints to take the chequered flag and kick off his challenge for the title.
The full top 10 are- P1: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Russell, P4: Verstappen, P5: Leclerc, P6: Hamilton, P7: Ocon, P8: Antonelli, P9: Albon and P10: Bearman.
However, after the race there was drama from the FIA, they have disqualified Leclerc and Gasly for their cars being found to be underweight in post-race checks. Not only this Hamilton has also been disqualified for his rear skid block which was found to be under the minimum thickness.
This means that the new top 10 is- P1: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Russell, P4: Verstappen, P5: Ocon, P6: Antonelli, P7: Albon, P8: Bearman, P9: Stroll and P10: Sainz.
What a result for McLaren, a lovely 1-2 finish for the team, that is what they would’ve wanted last weekend but either way it’s a massive points haul for the team. Piastri had a dominating weekend anyway, P2 in the Sprint Race, Pole and then Win. Norris had a good race, made up for the Sprint. He pretty much had a smooth race apart from the brake problems at the end but he kept it cool, calm and collected.
Russell had a lovely race, P3! He pretty much kept out of trouble and was putting pressure on Lando towards the end which is good to see. As for his teammate, Antonelli finished 6th by the time disqualifications come into it, another decent points haul for him and more learning.
A good race for Verstappen, he lost quite a few places at the start, but after switching tyres and during the second half of the race, the Dutchman put pressure on the Ferrari’s and managed to make some ground back up.
It was a decent race for Ferrari, P5 and P6, but after the race just ruined their weekend. A DSQ for both drivers so they come away from the Grand Prix with no points (apart from Sprint). Let’s hope they learn from this and don’t let it happen again as they’ve missed out on decent points…
A double points finish for Haas!! P5 for Ocon and P8 Bearman, this amount of points so early on will make a big difference to the end of the season as the mid-field is going to be so close!
Again double points for Williams, which means Sainz’s first point for the team. He had a bit of a rough weekend for the team, still struggling with the car but at least it’s better than last weekend.
Now onto the next race weekend, we have a break now but we are back for Round 3 in Japan on the 4th – 6th of April and it will be a triple header!
McLaren and Oscar Piastri have agreed a new multi-year contract extension that the British team say will keep the Australian driver with them “for the long term”.
Piastri joined McLaren ahead of the 2023 season on a multi-year contract and extended that arrangement after just 15 races of his debut campaign with the team to at least the end of of 2026.
He continued to thrive at McLaren in only his second season, where he won two Grands Prix and scored another six podiums as well as achieving a Sprint win to earn another new deal.
The 23 year old was the only driver to complete every racing lap of the 2024 season, and went on to finish a career-best fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, which also played a key role in the team securing the Teams’ title for the first time since 1998.
This now means that McLaren have secured impressive stability through multi-year contract extensions with Brown, Stella, Norris and Piastri as well as several senior team members in recent times.
It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m part of McLaren’s long-term vision. The team had the belief in me when we signed in 2022, and the journey we’ve gone on over the past two seasons to help return McLaren to the very top of the sport has been incredible. There are so many talented and special people working at MTC who have helped me to become a Formula 1 race winner very early in my career. Therefore, I’m very proud to be continuing to represent this legendary team for many years to come. I’m excited to fight for the big prizes as a McLaren driver and after last year’s fantastic achievements, it has made me even hungrier to stay at the sharp end. Piastri on the news.
It’s fantastic to confirm Oscar’s extension with McLaren. Not only is he an incredibly talented driver, but his work ethic and cultural fit within the team made it a no-brainer to extend his time in papaya. We’ve got the best driver line-up on the grid, and in the past two seasons, we’ve seen how much of an asset to the team Oscar is both on and off track. He was absolutely fundamental in adding to our legacy with the 2024 Constructors’ Championship last season, so we’re all excited to see what we can do in the years to come as we continue to fight for World Championships together. Zak Brown, McLaren CEO.
Further extending our partnership with Oscar is a symbol of our belief and trust in him as a driver, as well as a reflection of our shared ambition to continue in our fight for Championships together. It has been a pleasure working with Oscar throughout the past two seasons and he has continued to prove how impressive he is in terms of his talent, determination and work ethic as a driver and his contribution to our team and culture as a person. Alongside Lando, we have what we need locked in for the long term to keep pushing forward. I look forward to continuing to watch Oscar grow and develop as a driver and know that many successes lie ahead for him. Andrea Stella, Team Principal.
Oscar Piastri has taken his debut Grand Prix victory in Hungary after team drama played out, with Norris belatedly responding to an order to hand back the lead to the Australian…
After the duo went three wide with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen off the line, it was Piastri who emerged as the leader into Turn 1 and from there led much of the Grand Prix. However, when Norris was pitted first during the second round of stops – seemingly to cover off Hamilton – the Brit was the one to emerge ahead.
This then prompted the team to make several calls to Norris to give the position back but it took until lap 68 of 70 for Norris to comply.
The full top 10 are- P1: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Hamilton, P4: Leclerc, P5: Verstappen, P6: Sainz, P7: Perez, P8: Russell, P9: Tsunoda and P10: Stroll.
Obviously a great result for Piastri, his first win in F1! And it was well deserved in my opinion, and a good result for Norris too, with a 1-2 finish which obviously helps with the constructors. But I do think Piastri’s win has been downplayed a little just because of the situation on the radio with Norris and not wanting to let his teammate pass etc. As everyone knows if it was roles reversed Piastri would do it for Norris, so I have no doubt it will be an awkward debrief for the team.
A very good result for Hamilton, another podium which makes it 200 career podiums for the seven time world champion. He had a bit of drama with Verstappen in the closing stages of the race where they collided and the Dutchman went up in the air and leaving the track which then dropped him down to fifth. Hamilton will be looking towards the next race now, seeing what they can improve on in qualifying to get closer to the McLaren’s and Verstappen and then the race too.
Charles Leclerc had a good race, finished in P4, a step in the right direction for the team, hopefully they will get back on the podium some time soon… His teammate Carlos Sainz finished 6th which isn’t too bad but from starting P4 he would’ve preferred to finish higher but sometimes it doesn’t always go your way.
Obviously we have spoke about Verstappen, but I want to touch on him a little bit more. He was having a good race, not the best but he was struggling a little before the collision with Hamilton, he couldn’t quite catch up to the McLaren’s, so those upgrades Red Bull brought so far aren’t working… And the radio fights with his team, they were quite shocking and he just didn’t want to drop it. Whilst we are talking about Red Bull, Sergio Perez, obviously started 16th but he finished 7th which is a decent recovery drive from him, but the Mexican still has a lot of work to do if he wants to keep his seat for the remainder of this season and next…
Things keep going from bad to worse for Alpine, Pierre Gasly retired after suffering a hydraulic leak, his 2nd retirement in two races and Ocon finished P18…
Not long to wait until the next race as we head to Spa-Francorchamps this weekend!
McLaren have agreed a fresh multi-year contract extension with rookie, Oscar Piastri that will keep the driver with the British team until at least the end of the 2026 season.
The Australian already had a deal to race for the team in 2024, having signed a multi-year agreement to make his debut this season, but some strong performances this season has made McLaren wanting to lock him down for the future.
The 22 year old, took his first top-three finish in F1 when he secured second in the Sprint in Belgium and has scored points on six occasions, most recently in Singapore when he fought back from 17th to finish seventh!
The announcement of his new contract, ensures McLaren will retain their current driver pairing until at least the end of the 2025 season, with team-mate Lando Norris having agreed a new deal with the Woking-based outfit in February this year.
It follows a strong showing for the team at last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, where Norris secured his third second-place finish of the year and Piastri recovered well, as previously stated above.
It’s fantastic to confirm that Oscar has signed a multi-year extension with the team. Oscar is an asset to McLaren and constantly impresses with his performance, work ethic and attitude, so it was an easy decision for the team to make. He has already proved pivotal to the team, so it’s brilliant to have his vote of confidence as we push to win championships again in the future. I look forward to seeing him develop with us as we continue this journey together.
Andrea Stella, Team Principal.
I’m delighted to be continuing our partnership with Oscar through to the end of 2026. He’s an incredible talent and an asset to the team so it’s fantastic to be committing to each other in the long term. Oscar is already proving what he can do out on track and has been instrumental in the turn around we’ve had so far this season. He’s fit into the team brilliantly and is really valued by the whole McLaren Racing family. I’m excited to see how he continues to grow both on and off track.
McLaren CEO, Zak Brown.
I am thrilled to be extending my partnership with McLaren for many years. I want to be fighting it out at the front of the grid with this team and I am excited by the vision and foundations that are already being laid to get us there. The welcome that I have received and the relationships that I have built make this feel like home already. The team’s consistent commitment in me has made me feel incredibly valued and the desire from the team for me to be part of its long-term future made this an easy decision. To be wanted like that and for the team to show so much belief in me after just half a season, means a lot. Stability is a huge advantage in this early part of my career and to have that with a brand as prestigious as McLaren gives me the opportunity to continue the work that we’ve started. We’ve enjoyed some good moments together in my rookie season, but I’m excited to work together with everyone at MTC over the coming years to create some great moments.
Oscar Piastri will be racing for McLaren, alongside Lando Norris for 2023 on a multi-year deal, following a decision of the Contract Recognition Board (CRB), which ruled that the young Australian has a valid contract with the team.
The CRB met on Monday in relation to a dispute between McLaren and Alpine over which of the two teams held a valid contract for Piastri, the reigning F2 champion and current Alpine reserve driver- with Alpine having claimed, following the departure of Fernando Alonso to Aston Martin August that Piastri would drive for them in 2023, only for Piastri to refute that claim.
Ahead of Friday’s free practice 2 session for the Dutch Grand Prix, the FIA announced that the tribunal had “issued a unanimous decision is that the only contract to be recognised by the board is the contract between McLaren Racing and Mr Piastri dated 4th July 2022”
The ruling also added that: “Mr Piastri is entitled to drive for McLaren Racing for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.”
Just after the ruling, McLaren confirmed Piastri would indeed drive for the team in 2023 on a multi-year deal in place of Ricciardo who agreed terms to leave McLaren at the end of 2022.
I’m extremely excited to be making my F1 debut with such a prestigious team as McLaren and I’m very grateful for the opportunity that’s been offered to me. The team has a long tradition of giving young talent a chance, and I’m looking forward to working hard alongside Lando to push the team towards the front of the grid. I’m focused on preparing for my F1 debut in 2023 and starting my F1 career in papaya.
Oscar Piastri on his move to the British team.
The entire team is delighted to welcome Oscar to McLaren for the 2023 F1 season. He has an impressive racing career to date, and we are sure that together with Lando, he will be able to help us move another step forward towards our ambitions. We still have an important job to do this season which the team remains focused on, before we will then ensure Oscar is integrated into the team as quickly as possible and ready for the challenges ahead. We look forward to preparing for an exciting 2023 season together.
Andreas Siedl on the move.
BWT Alpine F1 Team thanks the Contract Recognition Board (CRB) for convening on Monday and we acknowledge the decision they have made. We consider the matter closed on our side and will announce our full 2023 driver line-up in due course. Our immediate focus is the Dutch Grand Prix and securing points in our fight for fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Mclaren racing, have reportedly told Daniel Ricciardo will be replaced in the team by Oscar Piastri for the 2023 season.
The news comes as we had a very dramatic first week of Summer break and silly season has officially commenced which began with the announcement that Fernando Alonso is to replace Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin.
But the drama did not stop their, Alpine issued a press release stating that their academy driver, Oscar Piastri would take Alonso’s seat alongside Esteban Ocon, only for the young Aussie, to knock that down withing a couple of hours by tweeting that was “wrong” and he would not be driving for the French team in 2023.
Recently, speculation has been swirling that Piastri was targeting McLaren for a move – and now Motorsport.com are reporting that even though Ricciardo has a contract until the end of 2023, but will be moved aside to make way for his younger compatriot.
The report suggests that Piastri has signed as a reserve driver for 2023, but that once an agreement for Ricciardo’s departure has been agreed that the deal will be upgraded to a race seat alongside Lando Norris.
Looking back earlier this season, Piastri was first linked to McLaren in March when Ricciardo contracted COVID-19 and had to miss official pre-season testing in Bahrain. Alpine agreed to ‘loan’ out Piastri to McLaren for the opening race if Ricciardo has not recovered in time, but he did.
This was clearly not the end of the interest as it appears that Piastri has been on their radar for “several weeks” as they looked for someone to replace Ricciardo – who for the second consecutive campaign, has underwhelmed with his performances.
The deal between Piastri and Alpine was “never properly signed” and therefore the reigning Formula 2 champion was able to walk away from the team to which he has been affiliated with since the start of 2020.
As for Ricciardo, well team principle for Alpine, Otmar Szafnauer said earlier in the week he (Ricciardo) will be a good recommendation to return to the team and replace Alonso, insisting the face he had left the team – when known as Renault at the end of 2-2- to join McLaren was not necessarily a barrier to a reunion.
Alpine announced on social media today, that Oscar Piastri will be racing for them in 2023, alongside Esteban Ocon to replace Fernando Alonso… but what on earth is going on?
Oscar Piastri then took to social media to say that he “will not be driving for Alpine next year” hours after the team announced they would be promoting him to a full time race seat in 2023.
Piastri, announced as Aston Martin-bound Fernando Alonso’s replacement for 2023 earlier on but the Austrialian driver then took to Twitter and Instagram to insist otherwise.
I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.
Oscar Piastri on social media.
BWT Alpine F1 Team confirms 21-year-old reserve driver Oscar Piastri as Esteban Ocon’s teammate starting from 2023. In line with the commitments made by the team to the young Australian, Oscar will be promoted to race driver and step in Fernando Alonso’s seat from next year onwards.
Alpine earlier today.
Oscar is a bright and rare talent. We are proud to have nurtured and supported him through the difficult pathways of the junior formula. Through our collaboration over the past four years, we have seen him develop and mature into a driver who is more than capable of taking the step up to Formula 1. As our reserve driver he has been exposed to the team at the track, factory and testing where he has shown the maturity, promise and speed to ensure his promotion to our second seat alongside Esteban. Together, we believe the duo will give us the continuity we need to achieve our long-term goal of challenging for wins and championships.
Otmar Szafnauer, Alpine team principle.
What will Alpine do now? Who will drive for them?
There isn’t much for them to do apart from look for a new driver… but who is the question?
Daniel Ricciardo? Could Piastri take Ricciardo’s seat at McLaren and then Ricciardo go back to Alpine formally Renault?
Or possibly Zhou Gunayu? He was formally an Alpine junior until they let him go last year… but if push comes to shove would Zhou be happy to go and be apart of their family? If this did happen, this would then make way for Theo Pourchaire at Alfa Romeo.
If none of the above, Alpine could possibly go down the rookie route and look at F2, Felipe Drugovich, is currently leading the championship, plus he has no junior driver clause as he is not signed to an acadamey.
If not, Red Bull may push for one of their academy drivers to get that seat? They have a few juniors currently in F2 and looks like it would be their last year possibly.
Oscar Piastri is closing on a deal to drive for Williams in Formula 1 next season, with his debut potentially confirmed by the end of the month
The Alpine test and reserve driver has been the talk of the paddock as he is one of F1’s most promising young drivers, and wont a hat-trick of titles across the Formula Renault Eurocup, Formula 3 and Formula 2 from 2019 to 2021.
But, he missed out on an instant F1 graduation for 2022, as Alpine had no room and they could not find or agree a deal for Piastri to go on loan elsewhere. Piastri has spent 2022 so far testing last year’s Alpine alongside his role as the team’s reserve driver.
The Aussie, is still under contract with Alpine for next year but is thought to have a release clause of some kind if he does not have a deal agreed for him to race in F1 by the end of June. Alpine is still not able to put Piastri in its own team as Esteban Ocon is contracted to the end of 2024, and two time world champion Fernando Alonso is all but confirmed for 2023.
Alpine has made it clear that in the circumstances it is happy to let Piastri join another team but on a short term basis as they are not keen to lose such a highly rated driver permanently. Multiple sources have indicated the solution looks increasingly likely to be loaning Piastri to Williams.
It’s to be rumoured, that Piastri’s move will be announced at the British Grand Prix, as that even begins at the end of June – the aforementioned contractual deadline for Alpine to secure Piastri’s future and the race at which Alpine’s team principal, Otmar Szafnauer hoped to be able to confirm its driver plans.
Williams is clearly amenable to such an arrangement as for the 2022 season, the British team struck a similar deal with Red Bull to sign Alex Albon, whom Piastri is likely to partner when he makes his F1 debut. Albon has been extremely impressive in 2022, whilst his team-mate Nicholas Latifi has struggled, lacking pace and also suffering some expensive crashes.
Latifi’s position at Williams has so far been guaranteed by the funding he brings and his father was also integral in helping the team manage some debts early in pandemic, that helped Latifi extend his stay till 2022, but its is not expected to last beyond a third season.
But rumours continued to fly around at the Azerbaijan GP, that Piastri could replace Latifi from this year’s British GP onwards. Latifi has denied these claims and denied he would leave the team mid season and expects to stay until the end of the year…
Recently in the past few weeks there have been quite a few news articles about Australian, Oscar Piastri and him having an F1 seat next year. Well Alpine are considering to loan him out to another team, but they don’t want to loose him permanently.
After winning back to back Formula 3 and 2 titles, there was no available seat for him on the 2022 F1 gird, so he is spending this season as Alpines reserve, with a heavy simulator schedule, access to engineer briefings and upcoming FP1 sessions, all with the aim of him getting on the gird for 2023.
If Piastri was to step up to Alpine, then it would be replacing Fernando Alonso, however the Spanish driver appears to be on top form and shows no sign of him declining a seat.
If it’s a solution that allows me to get him back at some point, I might think about it, I’m not opposed to the solution. You understand I want to develop Oscar, I don’t want to leave him sitting on the bench waiting forever. He needs to be ready when the day comes. And the day will come because he’s very talented, he’s very worthy of one of the top 20 seats here. And I do believe he has the potential of being a future World Champion, I’m persuaded of that. So he needs to be trained as much as he can in the meantime. [Looking at a loan has] always been a parameter for all of us.
Laurent Rossi, Alpine CEO talking on a possible loan for Piastri, quoted by Motorsport.com.
But, there is a paddock rumour going around, which was revealed by Sky F1 broadcaster, Ted Kravitz.
One of the latest paddock rumours has Williams interested in the services of Oscar Piastri. This is for next year. I know I said [recently] you might see Oscar Piastri potentially at Aston Martin, but it seems I was wrong about that and actually Oscar Piastri/Alpine are looking at Williams potentially as a place for him next year. I don’t know if that will be in place of Alex Albon or Nicholas Latifi as both are very happy and ensconced within this team at Williams, but it’s one to look out for later in the season.
Ted Kravitz during Ted’s Notebook for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Williams, have had a loan deal before, the British team had George Russell from 2019 to 2021 from Mercedes. After a blank first two season, Russell scored 16 points in his final season with the team.
My Opinion-
I’d pay money to see Oscar Piastri have a F1 seat for 2023! Whether that be with Alpine, Williams or a completely different team. But if Williams took a shot at Oscar, I don’t think they would be disappointed.
He is obviously very talented, as seen by many current F1 drivers, Alpine and Mark Webber (his manager) and also the fact he has won back to back titles, which not many juniors can say they have done. Surely it’s only a matter of time? Right?…
McLaren can now call upon Oscar Piastri, Alpine’s reserve if they require a stand-in for Daniel Ricciardo or Lando Norris, following an agreement of a new deal between the teams.
The British team already has an arrangement with Mercedes, which allows them to borrow Stoffel Vandoorne Or Nyck de Vries but both drivers have commitments to Mercedes EQ team in Formula E.
As well as the arrangement with Mercedes, McLaren also have an agreement with former Force India driver, Paul Di Resta to act as a stand-in as possible.
Following talks with the French team, it is to be believed that the talks have gone on for several weeks which allows Piastri to join the pool of reserves.
Piastri who won the F2 Championship last year, is not in a full time seat this season and is instead understudy to two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon at Alpine.
“In the spirit of offering maximum racing opportunities to our stable of young talent, we have agreed that McLaren may call upon BWT Alpine F1 Team Reserve Driver Oscar Piastri in the event one of their drivers is unable to race,” tweeted Alpine.
My Opinion-
This is good news for both McLaren and Oscar, it gives Oscar an potential opportunity to get some miles in an F1 car but aswell for McLaren they have someone who will be at the majority of races this year, so if something does happen he will be there.
In the spirit of offering maximum racing opportunities to our stable of young talent, we have agreed that @McLarenF1 may call upon BWT Alpine F1 Team Reserve Driver @OscarPiastri in the event one of their drivers is unable to race. pic.twitter.com/etmryT1UrJ
Alpine are now the ninth team to launch their challenger for this season- the A522, in which they had a live show from Paris.
The team secured their first victory under the Alpine banner, in Hungary last year when Esteban won. The same pairing as last year will continue, double world champion Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon. As well as this, they have Formula 2 Champion, Oscar Piastri fulfilling reserve duties.
The French manufacturer, will be wanting to continue on with their climb up the grid after finishing sixth in the Constructors standings.
Alpine is set to run a striking new livery that is predominantly blue that features pink highlights in a nod to their new title sponsor BWT, as well as this, they presented a ‘flipped’ the livery with pink becoming the most prominent colour. The special pink design will be used in the first two races of the year- Bahrain and Saudi Arabia before reverting back to the blue.
“It’s with great pleasure that we launch our A522 to the world today, marking the next chapter in Alpine’s Formula 1 journey,” said Rossi. “We have a clear plan and vision in place at Alpine and we have some of the best people in the business to help drive us forward and realise our ambitions. Our team is stronger now and, we hope, future-proof.”
Ocon said: “I’m very excited, of course, to not only see the A522 for the first time but to drive it for the first time this week. It’s always a privilege to drive a new Formula 1 car for the first time, as you know all the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes at both factories in Enstone and Viry from all of the many talented people working in the different departments there. That feeling and responsibility is truly unique and very special. I feel prepared, I feel ready physically, so let’s hit the track and see what we’ve got in our hands this year.”
Alonso added: “It’s good to be back and I’ve been working hard to be ready for the new season. The build-up has been a long time coming after the rule change was delayed due to the pandemic. The car looks fantastic with the new regulations in place and I like the new livery. We have a new engine and we’re confident we had a good development in place for this new generation of car. We won’t know where everyone stands until Bahrain, but we’re excited to take the car for its first spin in testing this week. I hope the new regulations have worked and we get more exciting wheel to wheel racing this year.”
My Opinion-
We all knew the Alpine would have pink on it, as BWT are the title sponsor. But do I like it? I’m not actually sure as it is quite a lot which has changed from last year, but I do feel like it will grow on me once seeing it on track.
But the car itself on the render pictures looks like a mixture between Ferrari and Aston Martin with the way they have designed, which could be a clever move but we will not know until it hits the track!
With the season over and the year coming to an end let’s take a look back of the Formula 2 2021 Championship and see who were our winners across the weekend, how many retirements we had and my opinion on who is the driver of the weekend!
Sakhir–
Bahrain saw the rookies Liam Lawson win the first Sprint Race and Oscar Piastri win the second Sprint Race with Guanyu Zhou winning the Feature Race.
Lots of drama over the weekend which included some daring moves where people got away with where as others race ending early.
Over the course of the weekend my driver of the weekend is Liam Lawson, his first race weekend in F2, he qualified P8 then went to win the first Sprint, the second one wasn’t as good which saw him score no points and then the Feature Race he finished 3rd, after the weekend he walked away in P2 in the standings.
Monte Carlo-
The lovely Monaco saw Zhou win the first sprint race, Ticktum win the second and Pourchaire win the feature race.
Pourchaire didn’t just win the feature race, his weekend started when he got pole position. But the tight walls of Monaco wasn’t as kind to some we saw 4 retirements in the first Sprint Race. The second saw 7 retire. Then the Feature Race saw 4 retire.
My driver of the weekend is… Oscar, even though he didn’t win and he didn’t need to he still got on the podium twice and managed to put himself in a good position for the second sprint race.
Baku-
We went back to Baku for the third round of the season in which we saw, Shwartzman take the first Sprint Race win, and then Juri Vips take BOTH Sprint Race 2 and Feature Race wins.
Baku brought the drama for everyone but HiTech, the team managed to stay away from it all. There was 4 retirements in SR1. 6 in SR2 and 3 in the feature race.
My driver of the weekend got picked very quickly because he managed to win two races. Its Juri Vips, I feel like this was his best weekend in F2 this year and he fully deserved the wins he got.
Silverstone-
The 3 winners at Silverstone were: Robert Shwartzman SR1, Richard Verschoor SR2 and Guanyu Zhou for the Feature Race.
Silverstone managed to catch quite a few of the drivers out but not as many as the previous races we have had as we saw 5 retire in SR1. 3 in SR2 and none in the Feature Race.
Ah I feel like there is two drivers of the weekend, one being Richard Verschoor he deserved his win in the sprint race, and the other being Dan Ticktum he didn’t win but he did manage to get on the podium twice which Oscar done back in Monaco.
Monza-
Round 5 and our winners at Monza were: Théo Pourchaire SR1, Jehan Daruvala SR2 and Oscar Piastri Feature Race.
Monza wasn’t as kinda as Silverstone was we had 7 retire in SP1. Only 2 in SP2, and 6 in the Feature Race.
I think my driver of the weekend would be, Guanyu Zhou he finished 2nd in Sprint Race 1 and the feature race. And he still managed to grab a point in the second feature race.
Sochi-
Well, I think we will all remember Sochi for a very long time and not for the good reasons. When we finally did get racing we only had 2 out of the 3 races. The first and only sprint race won by Dan Ticktum and the Feature Race winner were we saw Oscar Piastri take back to back feature race wins.
Even though we had two races, we still had retirements 4 in Sprint Race 1 and 4 in the Feature Race.
Dan Ticktum would be my driver of the weekend being the first out of all the drivers, he obviously finished 1st in the first race and then 5th in the feature race so he managed a good lot of points considering the conditions they had to deal with on the Saturday.
Jeddah-
A new track for the drivers but it was Marcus Armstrong who took the first Sprint Race win, and Oscar Piastri taking both the second Sprint Race win and the Feature Race win.
With it being a new track to all drivers its to be expected that we have retirements over the weekend, 4 drivers retired in Sprint Race 1, 7 in Sprint Race 2 and 2 in the Feature Race.
This is probably the most easiest choice i’ve had to make in a while, Oscar Piastri would be my driver of the weekend, I think the Jeddah weekend showed people how talented he really is (if they already didn’t know). He won two races, the latter making it 3 back to back to back feature race wins, he stuck it on pole as usual and just done everything right this weekend.
Yas Island-
The weekend where we saw our 2021 Champion crowned! But the race winners were: Jehan Daruvala SR1, Guanyu Zhou SR2 and Oscar Piastri won the final Feature Race of the season.
The first Sprint Race was quite calm considering Formula 2! We only had two retirements. We then had a crazy second Sprint Race where we had four retire (one being the champ himself) and the Feature Race we had three retirements.
My driver of the weekend would be, Oscar again and not just cause he got crowned the champion, but because he deserved it, the first Sprint Race saw him battle his own team-mate for the championship in the race which decided it all and Shwartzman was not going to let him have it so easy.
Overall-
I mean what a year! So many rookies joining us and them winning/ being on the podium/ scoring points, but also the drivers who have been with us longer, we have definitely been blessed with a fantastic set of races this year. I already can’t wait for next season to start and we haven’t even had all the announcements yet! Hopefully next year will be just as good.
WOW! We all knew it was coming but OSCAR PIASTRI IS FORMULA 2 2021 CHAMPION!
Oscar now has THREE back to back titles, with his first being in 2019 Formula Renault Champion, 2020 Formula Three Champion and now 2021 Formula Two Champion
What a drive from Oscar, he could of just left it in the points but noo, Oscar wanted to be on the podium which I make him right!
Oscars had a brilliant year so far with 5 pole positions and 5 wins so far, it’s like he wants to keep on going! We still have two races left, a sprint race later today and a feature race tomorrow where Oscar is on pole!
My Opinion-
Wow, Oscar is just unstoppable, he fully deserves this championship! His year has been amazing it’s gutting to see that he won’t have a seat next year as he does deserve it, hopefully we see him with a seat in 2023.
Our first day of cars on track is over and it was our last free practice and qualifying of the year, lets take a look on what happened!
Free Practice-
Championship leader, Oscar Piastri got the start he wanted this weekend by finishing fastest in free practice, the 1:36.800 was enough to beat Jack Doohan to P1, with Christian Lundgaard in third.
The second weekend in a row both MP’s went out first to get a feel for the track with Clèment Novalak setting the benchmark at 1:59.442.
But his team-mate Jack Doohan topped the times at the end of the first run of flying laps with a 1:37.702 ahead of Marcus Armstrong and Ralph Boschung.
Lundgaard beat Piastri to P1 halfway through the session and he was the first to break the 1m 37s but the Prema driver fought back and re-gained the position by 0.005s.
As the session went on the track conditions were improving after heavy tyre wear, this saw lots of fast times coming through but it was Oscar who stayed at the top.
Qualifying-
Oscar Piastri finished his last qualifying session in Formula 2 with a FIFTH consecutive pole position lapping a 1:35.077, in which he now has four extra points to add to his tally, one step closer to claiming the Drivers title! It was Jack Doohan who impressed the most with him qualifying 2nd in only his second qualifying session in Formula 2 with Guanyu Zhou finishing off the top 3.
PREMA was the early pace setters, with Piastri setting a 1:36.044 ahead of his team-mate and championship rival Robert Shwartzman and Carlins’ Jehan Daruvala.
The times kept coming during the half hour, with improvements being made but none dethroning Piastri. The grid then went in to the pits to change tyres etc so they could come out on a fresh set and see if they can improve their times.
The final top 10 for the feature race on Sunday are: P1: Piastri, P2: Doohan, P3: Zhou, P4: Shwartzman, P5: Boschung, P6: Pourchaire, P7: Lawson, P8: Drugovich, P9: Ticktum and P10: Daruvala.
So for our first Sprint Race tomorrow we have an all Carlin front row, with Jehan Daruvala in P1 and Dan Ticktum in P2. Drugovich in P3 and Liam Lawson in P4 making that our second row.
All eyes are on to tomorrow now, with the battle heating up between the Prema team-mates for the championship!
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – DECEMBER 10: Oscar Piastri of Australia and Prema Racing (2) drives during qualifying ahead of Round 8:Yas Island of the Formula 2 Championship at Yas Marina Circuit on December 10, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Our first day of having Formula 2 cars back on track today and I don’t think we was disappointed. All 22 cars took to the new track in Saudi Arabia with 4 of the drivers moving up from Formula 3.
Free Practice-
We had a bit of a delay to the start of our Friday due to temporary operational delays but once we got started it was Armstrong who led the grid out onto the 46 degree track!
Twenty of the drivers went back into the pits after the installations but both MP drivers Novalak and Doohan went round the circuit for another lap to get to terms with the car/grip of the track.
One of the four debutants didn’t have the best afternoon, Logan Sargeant lost control of his HWA in Sector 3 where he collided with the wall which caused a Red Flag.
PREMA are just on fire this season but it being their other driver Robert Shwartzman who topped free practice with a 1:42.623 ahead of Ralph Boschung and Carlin’s Dan Ticktum.
The full top 10 were: P1: Shwartzman, P2: Boschung, P3: Ticktum, P4: Drugovich, P5: Armstrong, P6: Vips, P7: Zhou, P8: Doohan, P9: Lundgaard, P10: Piastri.
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 03: Jack Doohan of Australia and MP Motorsport (11) drives during practice ahead of Round 7:Jeddah of the Formula 2 Championship at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on December 03, 2021 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Qualifying:
WOW, the amount of close calls I saw during the Qualifying session I had to hold my breath, this track is something else…
Moving on to the result of qualifying, Oscar Piastri lapped a 1:40.878 so he claims his FOURTH pole in a row he is now the only second driver to do this! His team-mate Shwartzman will be starting next to him on Sundays Feature Race.
It looked like Shwartzman had pole position during the majority of qualifying as no-one was improving their times until Pourchaire came all along and took it off him, but the Russian came fighting back and got pole position again.
Zhou had been struggling quite a bit during this session, it may be because of temperature and getting the heat into tyres? The first half of the session he was down in 9th but once he pitted and came out with fresh tyres he managed to get 3rd on his first run.
The top 10 for Sundays Feature Race are as follows: P1: Piastri, P2: Shwartzman, P3: Pourchaire, P4: Lundgaard, P5: Drugovich, P6: Zhou, P7: Boschung, P8: Vips, P9: Armstrong, P10: Lawson.
So for tomorrows first Sprint Race we have Liam Lawson on pole position with Marcus Armstrong in second and Lawson’s team-mate Juri Vips in third!
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.
To start the second day of the F2 weekend where we normally have two sprint races, the second one was cancelled because of the weather… we had the first sprint race moved to the afternoon.
So onto the only sprint race of the weekend… we had Dan Ticktum starting in pole and he managed to have a cool, calm and collected race and turned it into the race win!
Joining him on the podium was Red Bull Junior, Juri Vips in P2 and in P3 was Robert Shwartzman.
I can imagine Shwartzman is very happy about P3, it’s his home race and being on the podium must’ve meant a lot to him! Also he is closing in on Piastri and Zhou in the championship!
The drama started before the lights even went out, when on the way to the grid Felipe Drugovich made heavy impact with the wall and could not start the race. And the other UNI-Virtuosi driven by Guanyu Zhou spun on his way to the grid but stalled his car and unable to take part in the start of the race.
Somebody I have to mention is Jake Hughes! He has stepped in for Jack Aitken in the HWA Racelab car and he was fighting Shwartzman for his first podium in F2 and first points finish, he run in fourth for the majority of the race after Liam Lawson retired.
Day 3-
The championship leader, Oscar Piastri wins the Feature race, his now got back to back feature race wins and extends his championship lead even more! Joining him is Theo Pourchaire in P2 and Jehan Daruvala in P3!
What a drive from Oscar Piastri! Well deserved in my opinion. Looking forward to seeing what he does in the last 2 rounds of the season in December.
Dan Ticktum made his way up from 10th to 5th scoring more points for Carlin and himself as he currently sits in P4 in the championship. His team mate done very well securing Carlin with another trophy this weekend and a good amount of points!
Definitely not Guanyu Zhou’s weekend… obviously didn’t start Sprint Race 1 and then Sprint Race 2 cancelled, and then the Feature Race, he finished in 6th… couldn’t put pressure on Dan Ticktum in 5th.
We now have a big gap till the next race, but when we are back we’re being treated to a double header! We will see you in Saudi Arabia on the 3rd to 5th of December!
Jordan's Track Talk 