The BWT Alpine F1 Team launched their stunning A522 Monday afternoon, ahead of pre-season testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the launch took place at the home of the Renault group in Paris.
One of the team members in attendance was reigning Formula 2 World Champion Oscar Piastri. The Australian will of course be BWT Alpine F1 Team’s Reserve Driver for the upcoming season. Piastri is up there as one of the brightest stars of the future in the paddock, and arguably should be occupying a full-time seat this season. Unfortunately that’s not to be for the young Australian, who is nevertheless excited to be working alongside two impeccable drivers.
“I’m very excited to work alongside both Esteban and Fernando. Obviously, it’s a very unique opportunity to work with two Formula 1 drivers, especially given that Esteban is now a race winner and Fernando a double world champion. They represent a lot of experience to learn from, and I’m very much looking forward to the year ahead.”
Piastri has won three consecutive championships across Formula Renault Eurocup, FIA Formula 3 and last year, FIA Formula 2, demonstrating the skill and speed which he possesses an abundance of. Speaking at the team’s launch, Piastri explained that he is well aware of what his job will be for the upcoming season.
“There are three main areas that I will be focusing on this year. First and foremost, my main responsibility is being the Reserve Driver for the team. I’ll likely be at every race in case I’m required to step in. The second avenue is on the simulator. I’ll be spending a lot of time on the sim, developing the car and helping the team as much as I can in that respect. Thirdly, the team and I are also putting together an extensive testing programme. I will be doing a lot of testing, which I’m very excited for as I always love driving and learning more about the Formula 1 car.”
Piastri did gain valuable track time with the team last season as well as at the season ending Young Drivers’ Test at the Yas Marina Circuit, so he isn’t a complete novice when it comes to driving Formula 1 machinery.
“For me, it was an awesome experience. It was nice to be able to go into that situation with prior experience in Formula 1 machinery. This meant I could work with the team on actual testing as opposed to having to get up to speed. I enjoyed the day greatly. Any day spent in a Formula 1 car is always fun! I learnt a lot and it was nice to get to know the race team as well.”
Alpine are well aware that Piastri is disappointed about being a Reserve Driver and not racing this year, something the Australian highlighted at the launch. The Australian is trying his best however to take it on the chin and is staying focused on the job he has at hand this season.
“Firstly, I think it’s about dedication. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed to not be racing this year, but I think staying focused and dedicated to working hard and trying to help the team as much as possible is very important. A lot of my days will be in the sim, which entails busy days at Enstone that are extremely beneficial to the team. Dedication is the main aspect for being a good Reserve Driver, as well as being ready at any time for when you might be needed is another important quality.”
Whilst he has driven an F1 car before as mentioned above, Piastri hasn’t yet driven the A522, the Australian is very excited to get behind the wheel of the team’s 2022 challenger and prepare himself hopefully for a seat in 2023.
“I’m looking forward to driving the A522, of course. It’s going to be my only opportunity to drive the new regulation cars for myself this year. Driving in a Formula 1 session on a Formula 1 weekend will be a great experience, when the time comes. Naturally, I’d like to do the whole race weekend, but this is a good first step. The car will be very different to the Formula 1 machinery I’ve driven before and that will be a very cool learning experience.”