More Australians in Formula 1? "He handled that pressure very well''

Ricciardo sees Renault talent sparkle

Whereas Formula 1 and 2 still have a number of races ahead of them, the F3 championship was completed this weekend in Mugello. Oscar Piastri finally took the title there, after Logan Sargeant crashed out. This gives the Australian a good chance of a promotion to Formula 2 and as a Renault-junior he is close to a place in F1.

''It is very cool to see. I met him once in Enstone during the off-season and he seemed like a good kid. There's a good head and he's very relaxed," says the current Renault driver. Ricciardo himself will leave Renault at the end of 2020 to make the switch to McLaren, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Ricciardo is looking at Renault's talents.

More Australians in F1

''On the track this year he made a big impression with his way of racing. Even after his dramatic qualifying in Mugello he remained calm in the race and didn't let it slip out of his hands. So he handled the pressure of a championship very well. I am very happy for him," says Ricciardo, who would like to welcome a fellow countryman in F1.

''It would be good to see more Australians here. There are a lot of them in F3 this year, I lied about four, so it is good that one has been able to win. Mark (Webber) supervised him a bit and you can see that that paid off. I'm very happy for Oscar," concludes the Renault rider opposite Motorsport.com.