MOTORSPORT: Piastri is F2 world champion
Brilliant young Aussie driver ready for F1 next season after securing Formula 2 title in Abu DhabiOscar Piastri completed his perfect preparation for an F1 grand prix career with victory in the FIA Formula 2 championship in Abu Dhabi.
He signed off on F2 with a feature race win on the Yas Marina circuit at the end of a year where, despite starting as a rookie, he was the dominant force with the PREMA team.
Piastri has now won three major single-seater series in consecutive years and joins only current Formula 1 stars Charles Leclerc and George Russell as back-to-back champions in FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2.
“And that, my friends, is how you finish off a championship,” said Piastri as he celebrated his sixth feature race win of season 2021 and his fourth in a row.
He now rolls straight into the young driver test for F1 teams, driving a current grand prix Alpine, and then takes up his role as reserve driver for Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon in season 2022.
“I couldn’t really have planned for it to go as well as it has done this year,” said Piastri.
“It has exceeded my expectations. I hope it shows that I’m a pretty handy steerer.”
It says everything about Piastri that, while obviously celebrating his F2 success, his focus is on the future and racing in Formula 1.
“Of course it is a bit disappointing I won’t be making the jump directly and I really, really hope that I’m on the grid in 2023,” he said.
“I thought results could barge my way into an F1 race seat somewhere, clearly that has not worked out. I’d be pretty annoyed – for a PG version of my comments – if I wasn’t on the grid in 2023 because I have run out of things to prove myself with.”
Piastri starred through the Abu Dhabi weekend as his father Chris returned to the F2 pit lane together with the youngster’s managers, Mark and Ann Webber.
He qualified on pole position for the F2 feature race, but didn’t need to wait for the main event as third place in the first sprint race gave him enough points to nail down the title.
He then crashed out of the second sprint before dominating the feature as fellow Aussie Jack Doohan crashed out on the first lap after qualifying on the front row for his first weekend in Formula 2.
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