"Opportunity comes for the ones who deserve it" - Oscar Piastri is 'probably the best prepared driver ever' for an F1 seat, says Alpine's Esteban Ocon

Alpine driver Esteban Ocon knows a thing or two about missing out on a seat in F1 due to a lack of funds after something similar happened to him in 2019. The Frenchman, however, feels Alpine reserve driver Oscar Piastri will not face the same fate. According to Ocon, the Australian driver has proven himself and will surely find a seat in F1.

Speaking to the media (as reported by Motorsportweek), Ocon said:

“Oscar [Piastri] is a great guy. I mean, he’s very involved in the team, he’s going to have a great testing programme. He’s going to be probably the best prepared driver ever, with the test programme that he’s got at Alpine.

The French driver further went on to add, saying:

“I’m very sure he’s going to have a seat in Formula 1 shortly. I don’t know where in the paddock, but opportunity comes for the ones who deserve it. And Oscar is one of them. He’s won all the major titles and he’s very professional and dedicated. So yeah, I’m sure you will see him around pretty soon.”

Ocon's teammate Fernando Alonso echoed his thoughts and said that the Australian's achievements in junior categories and his age work in his favor. The Spaniard said:

“He’s a good guy, obviously very talented, won all the junior categories until now, which obviously shows that he has the talent. [He’s] very professional and hardworking on the simulator and on the factory, in all our meetings. He’s still very young. Hopefully he finds a seat soon.”

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Alpine might loan Oscar Piastri to another team in the short term

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi has admitted that the French outfit might have to look at the possibility of loaning Oscar Piastri to another team for the time being. Speaking highly of Piastri, Rossi said that they believed he was a future world champion and wanted to groom him for that eventuality.

The 47-year-old French executive said:

“If it’s a solution that allows me to get him back at some point, I might think about it, I’m not opposed to the solution. He needs to be ready when the day comes. And the day will come because he’s very talented, he’s very worthy of one of the top 20 seats here. And I do believe he has the potential of being a future World Champion, I’m persuaded of that. So he needs to be trained as much as he can in the meantime. [Looking at a loan has] always been a parameter for all of us.”

Although loaning the Australian might be a way out for Alpine, the question that needs to be asked is which team will they loan him to. Other than maybe Williams, there aren't too many probable candidates that fit the criteria. For the team, it's going to be a crucial decision to decide whether it goes with veteran Fernando Alonso or the youth of Piastri. Only time will reveal the answer to this question.