Ricciardo hails Aussie ace in fight against F1 snub

3 years ago 275

McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo has hailed chap Australian Oscar Piastri arsenic "the full package", arsenic anticipation grows astir the prodigy's propulsion to articulation the Formula 1 grid.

While China's Guanyu Zhou is each but definite to spouse Valtteri Bottas astatine Alfa Romeo successful 2022, taking up the lone remaining vacant spot connected adjacent year's grid, Piastri is apt to person his changeable astatine Formula 1 successful 2023.

Piastri adjacent told Wide World of Sports successful September that, though he'd beryllium "very happily surprised" if helium got the Alfa Romeo call-up, helium was "not truly successful the frame" and "not confident".

Piastri, who's starring the Formula 2 title with six races remaining, is apt to go a 2022 Alpine reserve operator and regenerate seasoned Fernando Alonso the pursuing year.

When asked for his thoughts connected Piastri's travel successful an interrogation with McLaren teammate Lando Norris connected F1TV, Ricciardo gave the 20-year-old a immense rap.

"I americium truly excited to see... Oscar bash well," Ricciardo said.

"I cognize what it was similar for maine erstwhile Mark Webber was successful F1. When I joined the grid helium was inactive there. It was cool, it was truly a chill feeling and (I was) evidently arrogant to correspond Australia.

"Oscar's been sidesplitting it this year. (He has) truly bully contention craft, arsenic well. (He) seems to person the full bundle close now."

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Zhou is apt to instrumentality up Alfa Romeo's spare spot successful 2022 contempt the information he's 2nd to Piastri successful this year's Formula 2 championship, trailing 178 points to 142.

In different denotation of Piastri's superior class, the Victorian is starring Zhou contempt the information it's his archetypal twelvemonth successful Formula 2 and his rival's third.

Piastri and Zhou are some Alpine academy drivers.

Only 2 drivers person won consecutive Formula 3 (or GP3) and Formula 2 (or GP2) titles arsenic a rookie: Charles Leclerc, who's present thriving with Ferrari successful Formula 1, and George Russell, who's present impressing successful the aforesaid people with Williams and is acceptable to thrust for Mercedes from 2022.

The palmy transitions of Leclerc and Russell from Formula 2 to Formula 1 person led galore experts to question wherefore Piastri is yet to marque the leap to the apical class.

Ex-Formula 1 operator Karun Chandhok said he'd beryllium disappointed if the accidental to vie successful the satellite title sidestepped Piastri.

"I truly complaint Oscar. Honestly, I watched him successful F3 but past what helium did successful F2 – Prema were down the curb astatine the commencement of the play astatine investigating and I deliberation helium worked truly hard to bring them into contention," Chandhok said connected the In the Fast Lane podcast.

"I anticipation that Oscar gets a decent trial programme astatine slightest with Alpine adjacent twelvemonth and they support him connected the books. But they request to support him sharp; that's the hardest thing. If you instrumentality a twelvemonth retired from racing... it's pugnacious to support the occurrence burning. Oscar is inactive young truthful it volition beryllium easier, but I truly anticipation that he's inactive driving tons of things to support him crisp truthful that if the accidental opens successful 2023 helium tin instrumentality it.

"You cognize radical similar that who are delivering results connected way merit opportunities, young drivers similar that, and I'd hatred to spot him not get a accidental successful F1 due to the fact that I deliberation helium deserves it."

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