Oscar Piastri<\/a> was a Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion, but had to spend the 2022 campaign on the sidelines at Alpine<\/a>.<\/p>\n Esteban Ocon<\/a> and Fernando Alonso<\/a> were the team\u2019s drivers, but before the end of the season, the Spaniard decided to start the next chapter of his career at Aston Martin.<\/p>\n Piastri was expected to replace Alonso, before his now-famous tweet denying he would be racing for Alpine in 2023, when he instead joined McLaren<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u2014 Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) August 2, 2022<\/a> <\/p>\n View Tweet<\/p>\n The Australian is now leading the drivers\u2019 championship<\/a> at the summer break, and reflecting on how this season\u2019s rookies have performed, Jacques compared Piastri\u2019s surprising career move to how Gabriel Bortoleto<\/a> ended up at Sauber<\/a> this year.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Who is 2025 Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto? Everything you need to know<\/a><\/p>\n Jacques was asked by F1 Oversteer to rate this year\u2019s crop of rookies and said: \u201cI think it\u2019s really nice that they\u2019ve all had an outstanding moment, haven\u2019t they? Antonelli\u2019s had the Sprint pole, and he\u2019s had a tough rookie season, but Mercedes are slightly uncertain with their car.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve had Hadjar, just fantastic points-scoring run that he went on at the start of the year, very, very impressive after his tough start spinning out on the formation lap in Melbourne.<\/p>\n \u201cBut now, ever since he scored his first points, and ever since they updated that car in Spain, Bortoleto has been driving with real confidence.<\/p>\n \u201cHe could have scored points in Spain, but got unlucky with the timing of the safety car there. He has exceeded expectations.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know a Formula 2 champion is going to be impressive, because it\u2019s equal machinery in Formula 2, and they\u2019ve got to prove it with a team that has just 12 people that can work on the cars.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t get any accidental F2 champions. You\u2019ve got to be a prestigious talent, and you\u2019ve got to have proven yourself up the ladder.<\/p>\n RANKDRIVERPOINTS1Gabriel Bortoleto214.52Isack Hadjar1923Paul Aron1634Zane Maloney1405Jak Crawford125<\/p>\n \u201cSo he\u2019s back-to-back F3, F2 champion. I think most people expected him to be quietly put away by Hulkenberg over one lap, and then show what he did in F2, which was a very, very strong racecraft and a lot of capacity behind the wheel, which is what is displayed in the last couple of races.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I don\u2019t think anyone expected was his rapid one-lap pace as well. So, for him to be so strong in both categories, up against a driver that everyone in the paddock rates so highly, if he can carry on, and there\u2019s no reason to think he can\u2019t, because Sauber scored in the last six races.<\/p>\n \u201cSo they\u2019ve transformed their season. And I\u2019m just so pleased he\u2019s had the car to show what he\u2019s capable of, because sometimes with F2 champions, they don\u2019t always get their go immediately. They sometimes have to wait on the sidelines.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you think that Piastri had to wait a year before he got a chance in Formula 1, that seems ludicrous now, and Bortoleto\u2019s getting a chance with a team where he can show his talent, and his talent might be even more, perhaps, than we expected.<\/p>\n \u201cI covered his Formula 2 season last year and was mighty impressed with what he did then, including a last-to-first recovery drive at Monza, which I\u2019d never seen before, and I covered that championship for 10 years.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we knew he was good. He might be great, and that\u2019s been one of the nice things to see across the European season.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri\u2019s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend<\/a><\/p>\n Alpine eventually decided that they needed to back their driver academy after losing Piastri, but that hasn\u2019t gone to plan either.<\/p>\n Jack Doohan was promoted for the final race of the 2024 season, but has already been replaced by Williams loanee Franco Colapinto.<\/p>\n Not backing Piastri has cost Alpine greatly, and Bortoleto could end up putting McLaren in a similar position one day.<\/p>\n Position Constructors’ Standings PointsPts 1 559 2 260 3 236 4 194 5 70 6 52 7 51 8 45 9 35 10 20 <\/p>\n![\"Sauber](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2228339378-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Jayce Illman\/Getty ImagesAlex Jacques full of praise for Gabriel Bortoleto who has \u2018exceeded expectations\u2019 at Sauber<\/p>\n![\"Alpine](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-1398264194-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Mark Thompson\/Getty ImagesGabriel Bortoleto continues to go from strength to strength with Sauber<\/p>\n