OUR NEXT F1 STAR

Oscar Piastri – Our next F1 star

Sakir Circuit, Bahrain, November 2016. Alongside the final round of the WEC – and Mark Webber’s retirement – the CIK karting world championships are being held.

ANALYSIS By MARK FOGARTY

The Sakhir F1 circuit had a dedicated international kart track within its desert precinct. AA publisher Bruce Williams and I wandered over to check out the karting worlds as the Bahrain Six Hours droned on.

It was an unintended insight into future Aussie international star Oscar Piastri, now destined for F1 following his F3 title success.

He has the best chance of an Australian making F1 since Daniel Ricciardo.

As a Renault F1 junior driver, you’d expect he will get an F1 test soon on the back of his F3 title success.

Four years ago in Bahrain, it was unexpectedly interesting. We visited Daniel Ricciardo, who gave us a detailed tour of his kart team.

Then we ran into Mick Doohan, who was running his son Jack at the world title meet. Doohan, he of five MotoGP world titles, couldn’t have been nicer.

This was not the surly, dismissive M Doohan I knew. On this night, he could’ve charmed the birds from the trees.

Mick showed us around, explained what was going on, and took to the best vantage point to watch the racing. Where I bumped into Gerhard Berger, with whom I had had so much fun in my F1 reporting days.

Clearly, under lights here on the desert island of Bahrain, something was happening.

In the final, Jack Doohan revealed his feisty familial aggression and unhappiness when things didn’t go his way. A good sign, we thought.

Also, there was a less celebrated Aussie teenager. The first time I heard of Oscar Piastri was on that balmy evening in Bahrain.

Piastri finished sixth in an all-star final and the word was this kid was headed for stardom.

I noted the name and wondered when – or if – I’d hear it again.

Now I’m thinking of him as our next F1 driver. He won the Renault Eurocup in 2019 and snatched this year’s F3 title at Mugello last weekend.

Piastri’s dramatic F3 title victory put him on the path to F1. It was a gritty, calculated title success in a turbulent, disrupted season.

As a Renault junior driver, he has a shot at F1. Initially, it will almost certainly be an F1 test with an eye to the future. Soon.

The fact that he is being managed by Mark Webber only increases his chances of becoming our next F1 driver.

They don’t come along very often. There were 16 years between Alan Jones and Webber, and another 12 years before Daniel Ricciardo came along.

Piastri is now on the fast track to F1 as soon as 2022. More likely, if he continues his ascent through F2 next year, he’ll get an Alpine test deal in ’22 and be in contention for an F1 seat in ’23.

By then, Alpine (now Renault) will be looking for a replacement for veteran Fernando Alonso, who returns to F1 with the Renault equipment next year.

Piastri, 19, is our best F1 hope since Ricciardo. His F3 title puts him ahead of Tassie trier Alex Peroni and J Doohan.

From my distanced view, Piastri is a mature and calculated racer. He does what he needs to do to get the job done. He also presents well to the media.

Obviously, he’s had the financial support to get where he is. The Melbourne-born racer has so far delivered on his backing.

Others, like Anton De Pasquale, have had chances, but not the financial support to deliver on the international stage.

Piastri is now on his way to F1, in a similar position to Ricciardo in 2011 when the WA phenom was placed at lowly HRT for the second half of the season before being promoted to Toro Rosso in 2012.

Within the Red Bull system, Ricciardo was elevated after winning the British F3 title in 2009, the last year the UK series was a serious nursey for F1 talent.

Piastri is Australia’s third FIA F3 champion. Larry Perkins won F3 Eurocup title in 1975 on his way to F1, while Ryan Briscoe was the 2003 Euro F3 Series champion.

Piastri is our next great hope and, so far, after two junior titles in a row, he is ready to make a play for F1.

Peroni and Doohan are not out of contention, either, giving us our best long-term shot at multiple F1 drivers ever.

But for now, a Ricciardo/Piastri crossover is our best bet.

For more of the latest F1 news pick up the current issue of Auto Action. Also make sure you follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or our weekly email newsletter for all the latest updates between issues.