Will this great talent soon suffer from the lack of vision in the Alpine Academy?

With the number one and two in the Formula 2 championship, you could say that the Alpine/Renault training programme is a great success. However, when you look at the follow-up trajectory for these talents, it makes you wonder what the plan is for these successful drivers?

Alpine has secured the services of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso for 2022. Earlier this season, Ocon's new three-year deal was announced, securing the Frenchman a place through to 2024, while Alonso was able to announce on Thursday that he will continue driving for Alpine in 2022.

With the upcoming 2022 rule changes, it's not even surprising that Alpine is opting for stability. In 2021, Alonso and Ocon's performances proved fine, culminating in first and fourth place in Hungary. It was the first victory since Renault's return to Formula 1, albeit under a different name.

In that respect, you can say that Alpine is successful under the new management, but the contract extension of the two drivers also raises questions. The training at Renault was created to attract talented drivers to Formula 1, but if they don't get a chance it becomes a bit tricky.

In an earlier stage, Cyril Abiteboul pointed out Anthoine Hubert. He was the driver who was watched and seen as a candidate for a place at Renault. Behind that, there was a gap, but that has been filled in the meantime. In Formula 2, Oscar Piastri is leading the championship, and Guanyu Zhou follows on P2. Both are part of the Alpine Academy.

However, the Academy that was proudly presented at the beginning of 2021 seems to be missing a follow-up track. Victor Martins and Caio Collet get their chance in Formula 3 to develop, while Christian Lundgaard, Zhou and Piastri get their chance in F2 to prove themselves ready for F1. The next step, however, is not ready.

While you can criticise the way Red Bull sometimes deals with talent, you can't blame them for not having a plan. Drivers are coached in the junior categories, and at AlphaTauri they get the chance to prove themselves in F1. From there a step up to Red Bull Racing is even possible. If you're good enough you'll get your chance, but if you're not good enough they'll be quick to say goodbye.

In that respect, Alpine does not seem to have thought about a training plan beyond Formula 2. Where Zhou is not considered the biggest talent, the same cannot be said of Piastri. Suppose he becomes champion this year. Then he has won Formula 3 and Formula 2 as a rookie, but Alpine has no place for him in F1. An extra year in F2 is then not even possible as champion.

For Alpine, it's not even crazy that as the main team they don't want to put a junior in the car. Alpine wants to compete for the top spots in 2022, so they cannot let a rookie make mistakes in his first season. The question is what is in store for Piastri then? Is there a deal with another team where he can make his first F1 metres?

Alpine/Renault doesn't have a smaller team where they can stable drivers, like Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari have been able to do with their talents. Will Piastri get his chance at Alfa Romeo, Williams or AlphaTauri, and will Alpine lose their greatest talent to the competition?

A training program sounds nice, but there has to be a clear plan. It costs a lot of money to put drivers through different training programs, but if you like Red Bull and have a yearly flow in your teams, it is worth the investment. This doesn't seem to be the case for Alpine now, who will have to search for a place for their talents.

The training programmes only have one goal, and that is to find the next Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen or Charles Leclerc before your competitors do. Alpine seems to have a big fish in the pond with Piastri but hasn't thought about his future. Hopefully, this will not be at the expense of the Australian's future.