Mark Webber already planning ‘tough talks’ with McLaren over Oscar Piastri during the winter break

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McLaren driver Oscar Piastri is facing two of the most important races of his burgeoning Formula 1 career in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

A few months ago, these appeared to be the races where Oscar Piastri could secure his first Formula 1 drivers’ championship.

Unfortunately for Piastri, a combination of bad luck, a worrying turn in form, and some impressive performances from Lando Norris and Max Verstappen have put him on the back foot.

Norris could win the championship at the Qatar Grand Prix, but Piastri knows that outscoring his McLaren teammate will mean that the title has to be decided in Abu Dhabi.

Mark Webber is Piastri’s manager and advisor, and would have been watching on with intrigue as his protege’s hopes of becoming Australia’s first champion in 45 years slipped away.

Webber has explained how he plans to help Piastri between now and the end of the season, but journalist Michael Schmidt has been told that he already has plans to speak to McLaren once the campaign is over.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

Mark Webber planning ‘tough talks’ with McLaren as Oscar Piastri becomes driver market option

Schmidt was speaking on his YouTube channel after the Las Vegas Grand Prix about Piastri’s situation.

He said: “He seems to have the feeling that it’s not going to work out anymore.

“Too much has happened against him. Of course, the mental component comes into play now.

“He has lost a bit of confidence in himself because too much is going wrong. Sometimes it’s bad luck, but sometimes you have to say quite clearly that he lacks the lap time at Norris.

“No one can explain that, because it wasn’t like that in the first half of the season until Zandvoort. He was clearly ahead [in qualifying].

Finish the sentence: In 2027, Oscar Piastri will be driving for…

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“So I think he’s doubting a lot of things now, and I really get that feeling from the outside.

“He’s lost confidence in the team, and Mark Webber just told me there will be some tough talks in the winter.

“They don’t want to put up with this anymore next year, and we’ll have to see what comes of it today.

“But for me, if this problem can’t be solved, Piastri would be a candidate to go somewhere else in 2027, even though he still has a contract until 2028.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Why Oscar Piastri could be at the centre of the F1 driver market next season?

Piastri has signed a new long-term deal at McLaren, and it would be a surprise if he decided to walk away from the team next year if they were still the most competitive team on the grid.

However, there have been plenty of examples in the past of drivers being at the best team in the paddock but still deciding to walk away.

Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna famously didn’t see eye-to-eye at McLaren, while Williams had a habit of losing their world champions immediately after they’d won a title.

Piastri has been linked with Ferrari, among other teams on the grid, in recent months.

The Australian would require at least one other driver to decide that they need to swap teams to remain in a competitive environment, but there seems to be a good chance of that happening.

There are no guarantees that Max Verstappen will stay at Red Bull forever, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have voiced concerns about Ferrari, and will Fernando Alonso retire at the end of next season, opening up a space at Aston Martin?

It’s likely to be one of the biggest talking points next season, and Piastri might be positioning himself to be at the centre of those discussions.