Promising driver Oscar Piastri will reportedly drive for Williams Racing next year, with the announcement set to be made in the coming weeks.
According to The Race, Williams may confirm the news at the British Grand Prix due to be held on the first weekend of July.
Piastri is one of the most highly rated young drivers in the world, rising through the ranks to comfortably win the Formula 2 championship last year at the first attempt.
However, the 21-year-old was unable to find a race seat for 2022, as Alpine, the team he is contracted to, already had Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, but he agreed to stay with the French constructor as their reserve driver under the condition that he be given a seat for 2023.
With Ocon already under contract for next season, it was expected that Piastri would take Alonso’s drive, and that the 40-year-old, two-time world champion would retire for a second time.
But instead, it seems that Alpine have agreed a loan deal with Williams for the Australian, with Alonso now likely to re-sign for another season.
As for who Piastri will partner at Williams, both of their current drivers’, Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi, contracts expire at the end of the year, but it is highly likely that the latter will be leaving after consistently struggling at the back of the grid.
Latifi made his F1 debut in 2020 and has finished in the points just twice since then, and while that is mainly down to the poor performance of the Williams cars, he has been well-beaten by his teammates George Russell and Albon.
The gulf in quality has been even more apparent this year, with Latifi last in the standings with a best finish of 15th, while former Red Bull driver Albon has picked up points in Australia and Miami.
There has been speculation that Piastri could replace the Canadian midway through this season, although this is unlikely given that Williams will not want to jeopardise the financial contribution that Latifi’s sponsors bring.
It is also thought that this deal between Williams and Alpine will help the former acquire Renault engines in the future, as they are supplied by the latter’s parent company.
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