Ilott: “Great injustice if Piastri is absent from the F1 grid in 2023”

The motorsport ladder with all manner of entry classes to Formula 1 is no longer worth a cut in the nose if Oscar Piastri fails to secure a place on the Formula 1 grid before 2023. MotorsportWeek.com writes this from IndyCar driver Callum Ilott. Despite Ferrari’s support and a second-place finish in the Formula 2 championship, he failed to break into motorsport’s premier class.

However, these results pale in comparison to what Piastri has achieved. The young Australian has won the title in three different entry classes over the past three years; the Formula Renault Eurocup, Formula 3 and Formula 2. Due to a lack of opportunities in Formula 1, the 20-year-old talent must now settle for a place on the reserve bench at Alpine. A lost year threatens Piastri.

Ilott has a hard time understanding that. That motorsport ladder is worthless if even someone like Piastri can’t get there, says the Brit. “I would be very surprised if Oscar is not assured of a racing seat for 2023 before the end of this year. A gap year is always possible, but not two years. It would be a great injustice for the entry classes and the scale of motorsport if Oscar in 2023 is absent from the Formula 1 grid.”

In his own fight to reach the top, Ilott now flees to America. “There are only 20 places in Formula 1, some of which are reserved for drivers who have earned their stripes for a long time. And it is expensive, it is expensive for the teams and it is expensive for the sponsors. refueling is not always possible.” together. In that sense, it’s an individual sport and for young people like me, it’s a lonely process to figure out how it works.”

At Juncos Hollinger Racing, he can prove himself in the IndyCar series in 2022. His place in the Ferrari Driver Academy is temporary waiting to put. “IndyCar represents a new beginning for me and I approach it as a great opportunity. I now hope to build a great career in the United States, that’s how honest I am with myself,” Ilott said.