Alpine F1 team reveals Academy line-up for 2021 season

The Alpine Formula 1 team has announced the drivers that will represent the Alpine Academy during the 2021 season. 

Following the French manufacturer’s rebrand to Alpine, the 2021 driver intake will once again be headed by the most senior Renault Sport Academy members Guanyu Zhou and Christian Lundgaard, with reigning FIA Formula 3 champion Oscar Piastri joining them in Formula 2 this year. 

Formula Renault Eurocup champion Victor Martins returns to the Academy to complete the line-up alongside runner-up Ciao Collet, with former member Max Fewtrell dropped from the programme after a disappointing part-time F3 campaign with ART Grand Prix in 2020. 

Zhou will compete in his third F2 season with the UNI-Virtuosi squad as he looks to mount a title challenge following a sixth place finish in the championship last year. 

The 21-year-old Chinese driver claimed a breakthrough F2 victory in the Sochi sprint race, as well as taking a further five podiums in what was his most successful season in the series to date. 

Fellow F2 racer Lundgaard will remain with ART for his second full-season in the series as he looks to build on an impressive rookie campaign that saw him record two sprint race victories, a maiden pole at Mugello, and a total of six podiums. 

Following his title-winning exploits in F3, Piastri has graduated to F2 to contest his rookie season with reigning champions Prema, where he will partner Ferrari junior Robert Shwartzman. 

Martins dominated the 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup, winning seven times en route to the title in his third season in the series, while Brazilian Collet improved to second in his sophomore campaign, winning five times as he finished 44 points down on Martins. 

Both drivers will step up to FIA F3 for the upcoming 2021 season, becoming teammates at MP Motorsport.