Ricciardo sees compatriot Piastri impress: "He really dominated"

Oscar Piastri won Formula 3 in 2020, forcing a move to Formula 2. The Australian drove for Prema and on his debut, he immediately claimed the title in the rookie class. Daniel Ricciardo is very impressed with his fellow countryman's performance.

A seat in Formula 1 has not been secured in recent months, but he is under contract with Alpine as a test and reserve driver for next year. The 2022 season can therefore be seen as a sort of gap year, but despite that Piastri will undoubtedly be putting in some miles in the 2022 car of the French formation.

"He didn’t just win, he dominated. I don’t think anyone really expected him to. Fighting for a title is one thing but winning comfortably was huge," Ricciardo is quoted by the Australian branch of Fox Sports. With a lead of 60.5 points, he stayed well ahead of runner-up Robert Shwartzman. Guanyu Zhou, who will be racing for Alfa Romeo Racing next year, finished third in the championship.

Piastri in F1 in 2023?

Ricciardo knew Piastri was a talented driver, but he hadn't seen this domination coming. "But I don’t think anyone expected him to dominate the championship like he did," he said. An F1 seat seems to be a matter of time, although Esteban Ocon is still locked in with Alpine until 2024. It is possible that he will replace Fernando Alonso in 2023, but for now, that remains a matter of conjecture.