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Mark Webber has recently sought to shut down all reports that Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen could swap seats, yet the Australian’s words counter his actions in private.
The F1 driver market for the 2027 grid has continued to ramp up in recent weeks, especially as Verstappen continually refuses to commit to continue racing with Red Bull next year. The four-time champion’s stance has naturally led to talk of potential successors, such as Piastri.
Rumours have spread that McLaren could release Piastri from his contract through 2028 and sign Verstappen to partner with Lando Norris. And if Verstappen were to activate his release clause to leave Red Bull, the Milton Keynes outfit would welcome Piastri as his replacement.
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F1 insiders think Mark Webber ‘fuelled’ the reports linking Oscar Piastri with Red Bull
Yet Webber, who used to drive for Red Bull and now works as Piastri’s manager, has tried to shut down the speculation regarding the Australian’s future at McLaren. Webber claims the reports linking Piastri and Verstappen with a seat swap are “nonsense”, and he insists that the 25-year-old is not looking for a way out of his contract at McLaren like it has been said.
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Some F1 paddock figures feel Webber’s claims go against his actions in private, however, as Auto Action (July 2026, P24) reports that insiders believe that it was the Australian himself who ‘fuelled’ the rumours as he is ‘unhappy’ over how McLaren treated Piastri last season.
It has often been said that Webber took issue with McLaren’s handling of Piastri’s title fight with Norris last year. Subsequent reports have also suggested that Webber wants Piastri to leave McLaren, as he does not want him to become a No2 driver like he was with Red Bull.
Speculation has also suggested that Webber has spoken to Audi about a deal for Piastri, and the nine-time F1 Grand Prix winner is said to be running around the paddock like a headless chicken to source a new home for his compatriot – despite what Webber says on the record.
Audi are not interested in changing their driver line-up for 2027, however, as racing director Allan McNish feels Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto are “the perfect combination”. It might become possible for Audi to release Hulkenberg from his contract for 2027, but they are not currently believed to be entertaining the idea of moving on from the German at all.
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Hulkenberg has a performance-based release clause in his contract with Audi similar to the clauses that Verstappen has in his deal for Red Bull and Piastri has in his deal with McLaren.
Piastri can break his McLaren contract early if he enters the summer break that follows this Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix outside the top five in the F1 drivers’ championship. He also heads to Budapest ranked sixth in the 2026 standings and is 11 points behind Norris in fifth.
Verstappen also sits one point behind Piastri in seventh place, meaning the 28-year-old will secure the right to leave Red Bull early (should he want to), as his clause is tied to not being the top two in the standings. Also, Verstappen will have from August until October to use his release clause, and he does not even have to inform Red Bull until the Singapore Grand Prix.
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