Alpine Academy driver Oscar Piastri got his second taste of an F1 car earlier this week, 25th May, jumping back into the R.S.18 for Alpine Formula 1 team round the famous Silverstone circuit.

The 20 year old driver from Melbourne shared driving duties with fellow academy driver Guanyu Zhou during a two-day Alpine F1 Team test, as the pair continued their training for the Enstone-based Academy. Held over Tuesday and Wednesday this week, the test was a vital part of Alpine F1 Team’s continued commitment to the Academy in 2021, as it readies its junior drivers for a possible Formula 1 race seat in the future.

In the driving seat on Tuesday was Oscar, who switched his 620 HP FIA Formula 2 car for the more powerful R.S.18 fielded in 2018. The Australian arrived at Silverstone on a high off the back of a double-podium finish around the streets of Monaco last weekend.

The reigning FIA Formula 3 champion, completed 86 laps in damp conditions around the circuit in Northamptonshire, in what was his second-ever outing inside the cockpit of a Formula 1 car.

Mia Sharizman, Alpine Academy Director - “It’s been a good two days of testing for our Academy drivers at Silverstone. It’s the first time we’ve tested at Silverstone with the R.S.18 car and it’s obviously the first time the Academy drivers have done an F1 test this year. Our programme ran smoothly, despite some of the bad weather for Oscar. He did approximately 500km and completed a full F1 race distance, which is good considering it’s his second time in an F1 car. Our aim for him was to get up to speed with the car and continue his development.”

Oscar Piastri - “It was a great experience driving a Formula 1 car again. There are not many better combinations than driving an F1 car fast around Silverstone. It was a little bit wet in the morning, but we completed a lot of laps in the afternoon with a few qualifying and race simulations thrown in there too. I’ve learnt a lot from the day and it will stick in my mind for a long time. Hopefully, it’s the first of many experiences here driving an F1 car at Silverstone.”

Piastri and Zhou, the top 2 in the standings, now head to Azerbaijan for round three of the Formula 2 championship.

Images © Alpine F1 Team