Alpine plan for Alonso and Piastri to both be in F1 field next season

Alpine are planning on seeing both Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri driving in Formula 1 next season, though the latter might have to head to a different team for the campaign.

The 2022 season is at its halfway point this weekend as the French Grand Prix takes centre stage at Circuit Paul Ricard, and it’s this time of the year when we see speculation surge around the future of drivers who have contracts up at the end of the campaign.

Alonso is one of those drivers, too, and with Oscar Piastri seen by the team as a real bright star for the future, there’s naturally a question as to who is going to be driving alongside Esteban Ocon in 2023.

Fernando, though, is showing that he is driving as well as ever and so it would be a shock to see him moved on at the end of the campaign, with Laurent Rossi revealing that the French/British team are currently in contract talks with the Spaniard, suggesting there is every intention of keeping him for next year at least.

Indeed, speaking to the press here in France on Saturday morning, Rossi revealed that in an ideal world both drivers will be on the grid in 2023, and that could mean Piastri is ‘loaned out’ to another team before heading back to Alpine:

“Well Fernando, his contract is over this year, so obviously we’re discussing with him,” said Rossi.

“We’re building scenarios for him and Oscar, as I’m sure you would ask me. The idea is that the two of them are worthy drivers, and we would love them to drive next year.”

“I think so,” Rossi said when asked if he’d consider letting Piastri drive for another team in ’23.

“I’d be open to loan Oscar out to a team as long as I get him back.

“We’ve invested heavily in Oscar, we believe in him, that’s why he’s our reserve driver. He’s a very