Alfa Romeo remain the only team on the grid to not have their confirmed driver line-up for the 2022 season, someone who can be a suitable partner to their new signing Valtteri Bottas.
Certain situations that went down during the Turkish Grand Prix between Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi show some friction. Of course, Raikkonen will be retiring at the season’s end whilst Giovinazzi is left to fight for his Formula 1 career. But, it seems to be a fight that the Italian is losing.
His career in the pinnacle of Motorsport has not been glittering to say the least, yes he has not been gifted with perfect machinery but he still is tasked to extract the maximum out of his car, such is his job. Yet, that has never quite been the case which leaves him in his current situation. During his tenure with the Alfa Romeo team, Giovinazzi has never been able to topple Raikkonen in the standings, with his best efforts tying the two men in 2020 – with just four points.
Although qualifying can occasionally be impressive, he can rarely produce a drive over a race distance that is needed.
And now we get to Turkey. Sometimes, the behaviour of an individual can expose certain things. In Formula 1, disobeying an order from the team is often a tell tale sign of something not sitting right with the one controlling the car. In the early stages of the Turkish Grand Prix, Giovinazzi found himself ahead of Raikkonen. However, the team along with the Finnish driver believed that he could go quicker, and potentially work his way into the points in tricky conditions. Despite not being aired on TV during the race, Alfa Romeo ordered a swap of positions. An order that the Italian chose to ignore, as both drivers would miss out on the points in 11th and 12th.
If the team were not delighted with his performances before, they definitely are not now. Perhaps, it was the final nail in the coffin – that is if that nail has not already been whacked.
So, what names have been thrown into the hat?
There have been three names who we have seen more then others, a lot more. Guanyu Zhou, Oscar Piastri and Colton Herta. All three drivers have traits that would make them very interesting to Alfa Romeo for next season.
Zhou, currently racing in F2, would become a difficult appointment for many fans to accept, but he is the strong favourite for the seat. The Chinese driver is in the latter stages of his F2 career, fighting for the title in his third season in the series. Arguably, he has not shown enough in those three years to warrant a drive in Formula 1, picking up just four wins so far but has achieved 18 podiums. Links to Zhou picked up momentum, with many speculating that the matter of his super licence was delaying the confirmation. But since then, other names have grown in stature.
However, Zhou has one thing that the others do not have as much. Money.
Ironically, the F2 title battle is about more then just the crown. Zhou finds himself battling Oscar Piastri, who has also been talked about around Alfa Romeo. Piastri seems to fly under the radar. The reigning F3 champion sits on top of the F2 standings – in his first season and aims to follow George Russell and Charles Leclerc by winning F3 and F2 as a rookie. The chatter surrounding the Australian managed to pick up some pace in recent weeks. His stature, strangely, seems smaller then some of his competitors. Ones who he is sweeping aside with ease. Formula 2 is a difficult series, especially with the current cars, yet Piastri took to it like a duck to water. However, he admits his chances “basically none”.
Despite leading by 36 points with six races remaining, Piastri will see his career hit a wall if he does win the series. If the Alfa Romeo seat goes in another direction, Piastri will have to either spend a year on the side-lines, which sucks, or spend a season racing in a series he could not care for such is the rules of F2. A champion cannot spend another season in that category.
Now, perhaps the most interesting rumour – Colton Herta. With the talk of Michael Andretti and Andretti Autosport looking to buy a majority stake in Sauber, Herta’s name popped up and has refused to go away. For those who watch IndyCar, they will tell you that Herta is pretty good. For a 21 year old. But, many have questioned whether or not making a move to Formula 1 is the right move for him, which is funny.
Stop. Is Formula 1 a smart move for Herta? Yes, it is the pinnacle. Jump at the chance, and race for America at the highest level. End of.
Formula 1 have been pushing to have an American driver in F1 to fulfil their ‘American Dream’ of becoming a bigger franchise in the United States. They have an American track, debatably an American team, and the driver is the last ingredient that is needed. He’ll be their superstar.
Young Herta has been massively impressing for a couple of years now across the pond but currently does not have the super license points. Which is a slight problem. That could play into the hands of IndyCar, who are severely hoping that their young star remains in their series – and signed a new deal with his team in 2021. In other words, there is a few stumbling blocks. Yet, it can be solved like every problem. Having 32 points accumulated over the last three seasons, he is eligible to receive a ‘special dispensation’ from the FIA to join the grid… if the 2022 moves happens.
With the new 2022 regulations throwing everything in the air, there is not a better time to join, but there is better times for someone to decide to sell up.
The Motorsport Formula 