It was an exciting week for Oscar last week (w/c 21st Feb) as the 20 year old Australian took his spot at the launch of the A522 as the official reserve driver of BWT Alpine F1 Team.

The grand unveiling of the 2022 car was followed by the 3 day pre-season shakedown in Barcelona. The Alpine Academy graduate was trackside at the famous 4.675-kilometre Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to watch the latest competitor rack up the laps as part of it’s winter preparations. Oscar also spoke with Alpine about his new role and the year ahead;

How excited are you to be working closely with Esteban and Fernando over the season? I’m very excited to work alongside both Esteban and Fernando. Obviously, it’s a very unique opportunity to work with two Formula 1 drivers, especially given that Esteban is now a race winner and Fernando a double world champion. They represent a lot of experience to learn from, and I’m very much looking forward to the year ahead.

What does your Reserve Driver programme entail? There are three main areas that I will be focusing on this year. First and foremost, my main responsibility is being the Reserve Driver for the team. I’ll likely be at every race in case I’m required to step in. The second avenue is on the simulator. I’ll be spending a lot of time on the sim, developing the car and helping the team as much as I can in that respect. Thirdly, the team and I are also putting together an extensive testing programme. I will be doing a lot of testing, which I’m very excited for as I always love driving and learning more about the Formula 1 car.

How did you find the Young Drivers’ Test in Abu Dhabi? For me, it was an awesome experience. It was nice to be able to go into that situation with prior experience in Formula 1 machinery. This meant I could work with the team on actual testing as opposed to having to get up to speed. I enjoyed the day greatly. Any day spent in a Formula 1 car is always fun! I learnt a lot and it was nice to get to know the race team as well.

What attributes do you think make a good Reserve Driver? Firstly, I think it’s about dedication. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed to not be racing this year, but I think staying focused and dedicated to working hard and trying to help the team as much as possible is very important. A lot of my days will be in the sim, which entails busy days at Enstone that are extremely beneficial to the team. Dedication is the main aspect for being a good Reserve Driver, as well as being ready at any time for when you might be needed is another important quality.

Are you looking forward to seeing and sampling the A522? I’m looking forward to driving the A522, of course. It’s going to be my only opportunity to drive the new regulation cars for myself this year. Driving in a Formula 1 session on a Formula 1 weekend will be a great experience, when the time comes. Naturally, I’d like to do the whole race weekend, but this is a good first step. The car will be very different to the Formula 1 machinery I’ve driven before and that will be a very cool learning experience.

Further testing will take place in Bahrain ahead of the first race of the 2022 season on 18-20 March.

Q&A content © Alpine F1 Team