Oscar Piastri likely to headline a not-so silly season

The young Australian’s apparent shift to Williams is expected to be the big move of 2022.

The 2022 silly season won’t be so silly as Formula 1’s big teams have already locked in their drivers for 2023.

Instead, the biggest news in the driver market this year is set to be Alpine’s 21-year-old test driver Oscar Piastri.

He has been linked with loan-style deal to Williams, where he would replace the under pressure Nicholas Latifi.

The deal has been reported by The Race, which says multiple sources have indicated it is “increasingly likely”.

As the 2021 Formula 2 champion and 2020 Formula 3 champion, Piastri undeniably deserves a chance in Formula 1.

He won both of those titles as a rookie - something that only Charles Leclerc and George Russell have done in recent years.

Alpine’s boss, Laurent Rossi, speaks highly of the young Australian, who is the team’s third driver.

“I’d argue that there are drivers that are perhaps not as good as Oscar driving at the moment,” Rossi told media in April.

“I think he can be world champion.”

Piastri’s move is likely to be the most significant driver deal of the year because the big teams - Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren - have already confirmed they will have the same drivers in 2023.

Alpine is expected to join that list shortly when Fernando Alonso extends his contract for another year.

The only other massive surprise could come from Daniel Ricciardo.

While he does have a contract with McLaren for 2023, there have been questions about whether he will stay on, given his performances have “not lived up to expectations” - a comment made last month by team boss Zak Brown.

There has also been a suggestion of a “performance clause” in Ricciardo’s contract that could be triggered.

But McLaren is talking the rumours down. Brown recently told F1.com that his relationship with Ricciardo “has never been better”.

After Piastri, the most exciting moves and deal are likely to happen among the minnows.

Question marks remain over whether Guanyu Zhou, Mick Schumacher, and Yuki Tsunoda will keep driving in 2023.

One driver who will remain in 2023 is Pierre Gasly.

This week, AlphaTauri confirmed he will continue driving for them next year, which will make it the Frenchman’s fourth full season with the team since he was demoted from Red Bull in mid-2019.

Gasly is widely considered a hot property in Formula 1 - but the chances of a Red Bull return in the near future are slim.

Sergio Perez’s contract lasts until 2024, while Max Verstappen has signed on until the end of 2028.