Guenther Steiner says Oscar Piastri ‘will’ leave McLaren once his contract ends

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Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner believes Oscar Piastri ‘will’ leave McLaren once his current contract expires.

Oscar Piastri has led the drivers’ championship for the majority of the 2025 F1 season, but is suddenly on the back foot with three Grand Prix to go.

His McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, now leads the way by 24 points after a perfect weekend at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Although Piastri has insisted that his relationship with Norris is good, some of the decisions that the team have made to try and keep things fair haven’t gone down well externally.

Norris was booed in Mexico City with fans upset that McLaren asked Piastri to give up a position to him after a slow pit stop at the Italian Grand Prix.

That reception continued in Brazil, and Guenther Steiner has now revealed that he thinks Piastri ‘will’ leave McLaren when his contract ends, as long as he doesn’t win the championship this year.

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Guenther Steiner predicts Oscar Piastri’s McLaren future as his title hopes evaporate

Steiner was asked on The Red Flags ‘Gas or Brake’ segment whether Piastri should leave McLaren when his contract expires.

The former Haas boss said: “Gas, especially if he doesn’t win the championship.

“I think he has a good chance to get in any other good car.

“He’s a good driver, and change sometimes is good. He’s young enough. He can adapt to it.

“He should, and I think he will, that’s my opinion.”

Earlier in the podcast, Steiner was speaking about Piastri’s predicament and explained: “He just needs to regroup over the winter and come back stronger than before.

“Otherwise, if he doesn’t come back stronger, I think the best for him is that he changes teams then.

“But he could come back because I still rate him highly.”

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Guenther Steiner predicts who will finish higher in the championship: Oscar Piastri or Max Verstappen

Steiner was also asked whether he thinks Verstappen will now beat Piastri in the championship, and he agreed.

Explaining his reasons, he said: “I mean, you guys saw what happened in Brazil. Not even in Brazil, but the last four races. So why not?

“I mean, he continues to do it. If you say that Oscar is now destroyed mentally, I mean, Max will be ahead of him. Absolutely.

“And Max is motivated like hell, as we could see in Brazil, he didn’t give up after a bad qualifying.

“He rolled his sleeves up with the help of Yuki, obviously, and made it better and finished on the podium.”

READ MORE: Gabriel Bortoleto sees a clear reason why some at McLaren could favour Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri

Who could sign Oscar Piastri if he does leave McLaren?

Piastri’s McLaren contract is believed to expire at the end of the 2028 season, but like every top Formula 1 driver, his deal will be full of clauses and caveats that could lead to an early exit.

As Steiner explained, virtually every other team on the grid would be chomping at the bit to sign the Australian if he did become available.

Red Bull have long been admirers of Piastri, and in their efforts to find either the perfect teammate or replacement for Max Verstappen, the 24-year-old would be very close to the top of their shortlist.

Piastri has been linked with Ferrari, and after president John Elkann’s comments, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton were considering their long-term commitment to the Scuderia.

Aston Martin would also invariably be interested in Piastri if he were on the market, while his familiarity with Mercedes power units would make him a tempting option for Toto Wolff if he ever needed to replace George Russell or Andrea Kimi Antonelli.