Australia’s Oscar Piastri sets sights on Formula Two after championship victory in Italy
Rising Australian racing car driver Oscar Piastri looks likely to move to Formula Two, after winning the FIA international Formula Three championship in dramatic fashion on Sunday afternoon.
The 19-year-old Melburnian, who is managed by motorsport icon Mark Webber and signed to the Renault Sport Academy development program, claimed seventh place at a title showdown in Mugello, Italy.
This was enough to clinch the championship by three points after his closest rival, American Logan Sargeant, crashed at the second corner of the race.
Driving for the Italian Prema Racing team, Piastri won two races from 18 over the course of the season, and finished on the podium six times. He held a points lead for the majority of the championship.
"Providing everything goes well in the off-season, I think a move to F2 is on the cards," Piastri said following the victory.
"Obviously, I can't do F3 again, so ideally I'd be doing F2."
Contemporary F3 cars are powered by standardised V6 naturally aspirated 3.4-litre Mecachrome engines producing 283kW, and paired with six-speed sequential transmissions.
The uniform cars weigh just 673kg, giving them a higher power-to-weight ratio than a Bugatti Veyron.
Watch the highlights of the 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship finale below.