Alpine F1 protege Piastri secures F2 title in Abu Dhabi

Oscar Piastri, a rookie of Formula 2 this season, has won the title outright after finishing in third place in the first Sprint Race in Abu Dhabi.

Having started the race from 10th on the grid, Piastri made excellent progress through the field after a great first lap that saw him climb to sixth.

Only needing to finish in fifth to clinch the title in his maiden season in the series, Piastri overtook Carlin's Dan Ticktum for that crucial position on the third lap.

Not stopping there, he then set about passing Liam Lawson and Robert Shwartzman and succeeded in getting onto the final step of the podium.

The race, which was won by Carlin's Jehan Daruvala, sees Piastri succeed Mick Schumacher as the F2 champion. This is his third championship in as many years, having won the F3 title in 2020 and the Formula Renault Eurocup title in 2019.

Despite these successes, Piastri won't be stepping up to Formula 1 just yet. The Alpine Academy driver will have to show some patience, as the door into the team is shut at the moment with Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon continuing in 2022.

Fellow Alpine Academy member and F2 title rival Guanyu Zhou has succeeded in landing a seat with Alfa Romeo for next season, and Piastri will likely need to spend some time on the periphery of F1 before getting his opportunity.