Oscar Piastri's chance to live his Formula 1 dream may come sooner than expected with another driver's days reportedly numbered following a string of poor results.
The Australian made a name for himself last year by winning the F2 championship at the first attempt – his third series win in as many seasons. Despite that, he was overlooked for a spot in the premier series due to a lack of seats available.
Alfa Romeo were the only team to bring in a rookie, choosing instead to sign Zhou Guanyu – no doubt encouraged by the fact he is the first Chinese F1 driver and the commercial benefits it would bring. Haas found themselves with a late vacancy after sacking Nikita Mazepin in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but they preferred to bring the experienced Kevin Magnussen back into the fold.
Piastri has instead spent his time on the sidelines at Alpine, working as a development driver and lying in wait to replace either Esteban Ocon or Fernando Alonso if they were forced to miss a race weekend for any reason. While that has not happened, it turns out his F1 bow may come about in an entirely different way.
Alpine admitted earlier this year that they would be happy to allow him to leave for another team on a loan-style deal if Alonso extends his career. That message was intended for next season, but it may happen sooner than anyone thought with Williams believed to be running out of patience with the struggling Nicholas Latifi.
The Canadian is one of only two drivers yet to score a point this year, and has been involved in several hefty collisions which have cost the team a lot of cash in repair bills. Latifi is struggling for both form and confidence, and could find himself out of a seat if he cannot turn his career around quickly.
According to veteran racer Tom Coronel, there is a "strong rumour" in the paddock that Williams might pull the trigger in the middle of the season. If they were to do so, Piastri is reportedly seen as a ready-made replacement to come in at short notice and grab his F1 opportunity with both hands.
"We will, of course, see the Alpine reserve driver Oscar Piastri drive there," Coronel told the RacingNews365 Podcast, claiming that a deal has already been struck to take the Australian on 'loan'. "That seems to have already been signed in Monaco. I don't know when they’re going to come out with it. That's a strong rumour."