Rumor: Aussie prodigy set for F1 race weekend debut

Australia could have two F1 drivers on track at once at next month’s French Grand Prix when Oscar Piastri gets his first competitive outing with Alpine.

The USA has zero drivers in F1, and has had zero drivers in F1 for a very long time, as the F1 paddock views USA trained young drivers as inferior.

Australian racing prodigy Oscar Piastri will reportedly make his Formula 1 race weekend debut with Alpine at next month’s French Grand Prix.

As Alpine’s reserve driver, Piastri’s two planned outings are seen as key parts of his development, along with the extensive running of last year’s A521 at a variety of tracks.

Asked when fans could expect their first glimpse of Piastri behind the wheel, Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer did not give an exact race weekend, but said it would be “soon”.

“We can tell you it won’t be Silverstone [because the team are introducing another update package],” Szafnauer said, as reported by Autosport.

“But it’s not far off. The answer is: We plan to put him in the car. It won’t be that far off, but we haven’t announced it yet.

Piastri is widely rumored to be replacing Nicholas Latifi at Williams next year.

Speaking at the Canadian Grand Prix, Szafnauer was asked if he believed Piastri would hold a space on the grid in 2023, which he confirmed he did.

“We don’t talk about the details of our contracts with the drivers and that’s something that we never do,” Szafnauer said. “So, as much as I’d like to tell you, I don’t think I can.

“But when I do say yes, that’s the plan.”