Alpine must decide which driver they want to accompany Esteban Ocon for the 2023 season. The two candidates are clear: Fernando Alonso and the young Australian pearl, Oscar Piastri.
When Renault (now Alpine) decided sign Fernando Alonso for 2021, he did so knowing that he would have a very special, experienced and competitive driver. A safe value, in short.
But, on the other hand, that meant closing the door to the young pilots coming from the academy, that is, from the Alpine Academy. The first to suffer the consequences was Guanyu Zhouwho after several seasons in Formula 2 has had to seek accommodation at Alfa Romeo in order to progress.
The second is Oscar Piastriwho after consecutive wins in Formula Renault, Formula 3 and Formula 2, this year is content to be a reserve driver for Alpine F1 while waiting for new opportunities.
Fernando Alonso wants to continue
Therefore, and taking into account that Esteban Ocon has a contract with Alpine until 2024the Anglo-French formation must decide whether to continue counting on Fernando Alonso or bet on the young Australian promise.
laurent rossiCEO of Alpine Cars, hints that it is most likely that Fernando Alonso will renew his contract and continue in Formula 1, as the driver himself has recently expressed.
«It is normal that Fernando does not only think about reaching the end of the season. As long as he does so well, if I were him, I would continue to compete.”admits the French engineer.
Of course, Rossi clarifies that it is still early to make decisions, so Alonso’s prediction that he will start negotiating his future in the summer is probably correct. “It’s a bit early for us to be able to position any driver anywhere in our team as well as in the other teams. So I don’t give it too much importance.”
What to do with Oscar Piastri
But if Fernando Alonso continues in Alpine, Oscar Piastri will have to find an alternative to be able to compete after a season on the bench. to their 21 yearsthe Australian represented by Mark Webber does not even want to hear about spending another season without competing.
Rossi is aware and is already thinking of different formulas to keep Piastri active without having to give him up in the future. “We are going to improve Oscar through the program, it does not change anything. Then we’ll make sure… It’s not about if he’s going to enter Formula 1, but when. You will be as prepared as possible. That’s the only thing that matters to me.”
The most obvious is to loan him to another Formula 1 team to gain experience and Rossi is open to it. “If it is a solution that allows me to recover it at some point, I could value it. I am not opposed to the solution. I want Oscar to evolve, I don’t want to leave him sitting on the sidelines waiting forever.”
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“You need to be ready when the day comes. And the day will come because he is very talented, he is very worthy of being one of the top 20. Y I think he has the potential to be a future world champion.”Rossi says.
«A transfer has always been an option for all of us. We knew last year that Fernando was performing. And it would be very surprising if he suddenly lost his magic during the winter. So let’s be realistic. It is part of the scenarios that we must explore », he acknowledges, knowing that Alonso will probably continue as an official driver alongside Ocon.
“That’s what we discussed with him and Mark Webber. I would love to have Oscar as my driver for the future Alpine when we get to the top of the podium. For me, the ideal scenario is for him to win races and championships with us. That is what we are going to try to achieve », he concludes.
Source: motorsport.com