Oscar Pistri has opened up about his Formula One career’s “tough time” after heartbreaking 2025 season.
According to Racing News 365, Piastri has recalled his "pretty tense" public rejection of an Alpine F1 seat for the 2023 season, which saw his move to McLaren referred to the FIA's Contract Recognition Board (CRB).
The Australian driver was signed to Renault's/Alpine's junior programme for the 2020 season after winning the Formula Renault Eurocup title, before securing the F3 and F2 championships in back-to-back campaigns.
For 2022, after securing the F2 title the previous year, Piastri was without a race seat and had to spend a full campaign on the sidelines as Alpine's F1 reserve.
It was a difficult year for Piastri, who had to adjust to not racing and instead watching from the Alpine garage.
Speaking on F1's Off The Grid video, Piastri said: "It was certainly a tough time. Naturally, as a racing driver, you want to go racing. That year, not racing was tough, definitely. It did allow me to view some things from the outside a little bit easier: being part of a weekend, understanding what media commitments are going to be like.”
“What the sponsor commitments are going to be like, just the general rhythm of the season. I learned a few things about that, but it was a tough time. I always kind of took pride in the fact that I was doing everything that I could, and I was always confident that something would come up," he added.
Piastri is all set to make a strong comeback in the 2026 season after ending his 2025 season at third position behind teammate Lando Norris and Red Bull star Max Verstappen.
