Alpine Formula 1 reserve driver Oscar Piastri has claimed yet another prestigious award, being named Autosport’s Rookie of the Year.
The Australian, who won the 2021 Formula 2 title, edged out Haas F1 driver Mick Schumacher, Indycar’s Romain Grosjean and Le Mans Series champion Yifei Ye for the honour.
It’s the second year in a row Piastri has claimed the award, which is open to drivers competing in their first season in a category. Piastri won the Formula 3 title in 2020 before stepping up to F2 in 2021.
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Previous winners of the award read like a who’s who of the motorsport world, including Formula 1 world champions Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel, along with race winners Mark Webber and Charles Leclerc.
When asked for the secret to his success, Piastri put it down to something other than driving ability.
“I joked last year that I had sorbet or ice cream before every qualifying session, so that was a good one,” he said.
“Thank you to everybody who voted, it was a great season and it’s looking like a different year for me this year, obviously.
“On the sidelines for the majority of it, but I’m looking forward to the opportunities ahead.”
Last month Piastri was awarded the Sir Jack Brabham Award, which recognises outstanding achievement by an Australian at the international level.
Piastri will spend the season as Alpine’s reserve driver, with expectations that he’ll replace double world champion Fernando Alonso in the race team in 2023.
That means his time behind the wheel will be limited to testing and simulator work, but his manager, Mark Webber, recently told Wide World of Sports that an F1 debut in 2022 isn’t out of the question, given the unpredictable situation with COVID-19.
“Being ready, both mentally and physically, is the most important thing for Oscar,” Webber said.
“Anything could happen, and it could happen quickly.
“Anything can pop up, it will be a random scenario that we least expect, that’s why he has to be ready.
“Oscar won’t care where it is, he’d be absolutely stoked to be there.”
Alpine will launch its 2022 car later this month.
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