Alpine boss Laurent Rossi hints at Formula One role for Australia's Oscar Piastri
A cryptic Instagram post from the boss of the Alpine Formula One team has given the clearest indication yet of where Australia's Oscar Piastri will end up in 2022.
The 20-year-old from Melbourne leads the F2 championship heading into this weekend's round in Sochi, but appears to have already been passed over for an F1 drive next year.
There's only one spot left on the grid, that of Valtteri Bottas' teammate at Alfa Romeo, and Piastri last week admitted to Wide World of Sports that he was unlikely to get the drive.
Instead, China's Guanyu Zhou, currently second behind Piastri in the F2 title race, is the favourite to secure the role, with his nationality and bank balance enough to overcome the talent gap between Zhou and Piastri.
Oscar Piastri on the way to victory at Monza. Getty
Mark Webber, who manages Piastri, recently told Wide World of Sports that he doubts Zhou has the ability to succeed in F1. over the course of an entire season.
Complicating matters is the fact that Piastri and Zhou are both members of the Alpine Academy, although their path to F1 with that team is currently blocked by Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon.
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But a recent post by Alpine boss Laurent Rossi gives a clue as to where the team's priorities may lie in future.
Rossi posted a picture of Piastri after his recent win at Monza, with the caption, "F1 behold: the future generation of champions is rising."
It gives credence to the theory that Piastri will sign a deal to become Alpine's test and reserve driver in 2022, with a view to replacing Alonso in 2023, a path that Piastri himself said was a "logical step".
Alpine boss Laurent Rossi's Instagram post marking Oscar Piastri as a future champion. Instagram
Further helping his case is a move by the sport to mandate that teams must run rookie drivers in a number of Friday practice sessions next year, giving Alpine a chance to ease Piastri into F1.
The Australian's methodical approach to his racing has drawn comparisons to that of four-time world champion Alain Prost, who is a director of the Alpine team.
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"It's funny you mention that," Piastri told Wide World of Sports.
"I've had a few people say the same thing. Particularly in the last few years I've won a couple of championships in that fashion, just by being consistent.
"Everyone understands being consistent is a vital part of any championship challenge, and having now done that in F3 last year and Formula Renault the year before, it confirms to me that that's the best approach."
Oscar Piastri after winning his second race of the F2 season at Monza. Getty
This weekend is the first time he's been to Sochi, but Piastri isn't expecting to take too much time to get up to speed.
"I've done some work in the simulator, which is basically all the prep you can do besides watching YouTube videos of old races there," he said.
"It's going to be a bit more challenging, particularly if it's wet, but I think we've proved we can be quick wherever we go."
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