Piastri-McLaren still together
After days of speculation and hypotheses, fueled especially by the movements of Max Verstappen’s entourage, regarding a possible seat swap between the Dutch champion and Oscar Piastri, it was the Australian’s manager, Mark Webber, who cooled everyone down. Interviewed by the site RACER in fact, Webber categorically ruled out a change of team for Piastri, dismantling the hypotheses of an alleged intention by Piastri to break away from McLaren at the end of this season by exploiting the ‘usual’ performance-related clauses.
“Oscar has a contract with McLaren for the near future – Webber said to RACER – The rumors about a possible departure are unfounded. Many inventions have been written about him and other teams. McLaren has repeatedly stated that they want him long-term and Oscar is focused on this“. Webber was the architect of the controversial transfer of Piastri from Alpine to McLaren and was considered the right intermediary to bring the Australian to Red Bull, given his past. Now, however, these words seem to definitively close this door.
What future for Verstappen
Webber’s clear position regarding Piastri could also have concrete effects on the future of Max Verstappen. The Dutch champion is indeed at odds with Red Bull, but without even the McLaren option available anymore, he does not seem to have realistic openings in top teams. The seats at Ferrari, Mercedes, and indeed McLaren are all locked for 2027. At this point then, if Verstappen really wants to break the umbilical cord that ties him to Milton Keynes, he will have to accept taking a sabbatical year or leaving F1 to perhaps focus on other categories
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Of course, if you look closely there would still be the WEC project at McLaren, with the papaya team racing in the Hypercar category in 2027. But this – at least for now – really seems like fantasy-market to the nth degree.
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