F1 team boss reveals how McLaren star Oscar Piastri inspired rival youth programme

Piastri na P2 in Sprint Shootout op Spa-Francorchamps — Photo: © LAT Images

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F1 team boss reveals how McLaren star inspired rival youth programme

AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer has taken inspiration with Piastri as the team shifts their driver apporach

Tyler Rowlinson

Monday 22 January 2024 09:57

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AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer has said that he has taken inspiration from Oscar Piastri’s rise to F1 as he looks to give three young Red Bull talents more time on the track.

Prior to his debut race with McLaren in Bahrain at the start of last season, Piastri had numerous tests with Alpine as part of their driver academy after winning the F2 title in 2021.

Thanks to this wealth of experience in F1 machinery, despite a poor start to the season for the team, the Aussie set the grid alight, picking up two podiums and sprint win in Qatar to finish ninth in the standings and claim the Rookie of the Year award.

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Speaking with Motorsport-Total, Bayer spoke of Piastri’s pathway to F1 and how he wants to implement that approach with trio Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar and Ayumu Iwasa.

Oscar Piastri took the grid by storm in 2023

Peter Bayer has taken inspiration from the Aussie as AlphaTauri look to change their driver approach

Bayer: Piastri inspiration for Alphatauri driver development

He said: “Oscar Piastri drove I don't know how many thousand kilometres, and when he got into F1, he knew what he was doing. He knew the dynamics, he knew the functions on the steering wheel.

“That makes a huge difference because you're just completely ready. We want to use part of our income to prepare our young drivers in the best possible way.

"That's why we're planning a big programme for Liam [Lawson] and Isack [Hadjar] and maybe also for [Ayumu] Iwasa."

AlphaTauri will look to give their young drivers more time on the track in preparation for life in F1, with Lawson’s brief stint with the Faenza squad last season echoing the need to change their approach.

Liam Lawson impressed in his tie with the Faenza team

The 21-year-old replaced Daniel Ricciardo for five races after his injury in Zandvoort, where he picked up a ninth place finish in Singapore to score points for the team. He also competed in Super Formula, finishing second in the standings.

Isack Hadjar will head into his second season in F2 in 2024 having finished 14th in the standings, having taken part in two FP1 sessions last season – with AlphaTauri in Mexico and with Red Bull in Abu Dhabi.

Ayumu Iwasa grabbed three victories in F2 to finish fourth in the championship last season, with the Japanese driver set to compete in Super Formula in 2024 with Team Mugen.