The Melburnian revisited the season he spent as Alpine’s reserve driver after winning the Formula 2 title, admitting the lack of racing took its toll even as it quietly prepared him for life in Formula 1.

“It was certainly a tough time,” Piastri said in an Off The Grid episode.

“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.”

Piastri joined the Renault Sport Academy in 2020 and rapidly established himself as one of the most highly rated prospects in the sport, winning both the Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships as a rookie.

Despite that success, Alpine was unable to place him on the grid for 2022, leaving him to observe Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon from the garage.

“I always took pride in the fact that I was doing everything that I could, and I was always confident that something would come up,” he said.

What followed became one of the most dramatic driver market episodes of recent years.

Alpine announced Piastri as Alonso’s replacement for 2023, only for the Australian to publicly deny the move hours later in a now-infamous social media post.

I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.

— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) August 2, 2022

“I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year,” he wrote at the time.

“This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.”

Behind the scenes, Piastri had already committed to McLaren, triggering a dispute that was ultimately settled by the FIA’s Contract Recognition Board in the Woking-based team’s favour.

“I kind of knew that it was going to be a pretty big story,” Piastri said.

“There were reasons for doing that, it wasn’t just me going out of my ways to announce to the world that I’m not racing.

“I mean, I certainly look back on it now with some laughs. Definitely at the time, it wasn’t so funny.

“It obviously went to the CRB. Things were in my favour, but that was another pretty tense moment.”

The ruling cleared the way for Piastri to make his Formula 1 debut with McLaren in 2023, a move that has since proven pivotal.

While he narrowly missed out on the 2025 drivers’ title, the 24-year-old enters 2026 with nine victories, 26 podiums and six pole positions from just 70 grands prix, firmly established as one of the sport’s leading figures.