Oscar Piastri wins Autosport Rookie of the Year award. After claiming the Formula 3 title in 2020, Piastri stepped up to F2 last season and certainly didn’t disappoint himself or his increasing fan base. The 20-year-old from Melbourne, Australia won the 2021 Formula 2 title and was name Autosport’s Rookie of the Year.
Piastri beat out fierce competition in the likes of Haas F1 driver Mick Schumacher, Le Mans Series champion Yifei Ye, and Indycar’s Roman Grosjean. It was the second consecutive year that Piastri won the award. Any driver competing is their first season in a category can win the award, which made Piastrieligible for back-to-back awards.
The list or previous winners of the award is more than impressive, including big names and Formula 1 champions Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen. In added, race winners Charles Leclerc and Mark Webber have also earned the award.
Piastri also earned the Sir Jack Brabham Award, given to the Australian with the most outstanding accomplishments internationally. He will begin the 2022 season as Alipine’sreserve driver with the goal of taking over for Fernando Alonso in 2023.
It is expected that Piastri will only be test driving and simulations, but it’s not out of the question that he could enter a F1 race this year. This is due to the Covid-19 situation when more drivers need to be ready to step in.
Piastri has the mindset and the physicality to be ready should his name be called this year to step in. He’s more than excited for the opportunity to make a name for himself at the F1 level.
