Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Oscar Piastri has emerged as a leading contender to replace Max Verstappen at Red Bull if the four-time world champion opts to leave the Austrian constructor, in a move that Mark Webber has been privately pushing for since 2024.
Ahead of the current F1 campaign, it emerged that Mark Webber would be taking a back seat from trackside duties as Oscar Piastri’s manager, with an agreement being made that the Australian would instead focus more on his client’s commercial affairs.
Given his experience in the sport now, Piastri noted that he is naturally less reliant on Webber’s advice inside the McLaren garages, while the 25-year-old’s former F2 race engineer, Pedro Matos, has joined the entourage in his stead.
What are your thoughts on Red Bull’s interest in Oscar Piastri? 😳
Let us know in the comments below!
Piastri and Webber had a disagreement on the former’s position at McLaren following the conclusion of the 2025 title fight. As McLaren teammate Lando Norris walked away with a maiden championship, Webber felt like his client was unfavoured by the team.
The 49-year-old was adamant on finding Piastri a drive elsewhere on the grid, namely his former team, Red Bull, but the nine-time Grand Prix winner asserted that he was happy enough at the Woking-based outfit.
With Max Verstappen’s future at the Austrian constructor now in doubt, Piastri has now emerged as a leading candidate to fill the void, which is something that Webber has been pushing for from Red Bull since 2024.
Helmut Marko revealed Mark Webber was pushing for Red Bull to initiate Oscar Piastri talks in 2024
In a 2024 interview with F1 Insider, then-Red Bull chief Helmut Marko revealed that Webber had been in contact with the team over a potential drive for his client in the future.
Marko didn’t go into too much detail over the talks, but noted that Webber was seeking an ‘intensive dialogue’ from Red Bull’s bosses over a move for Piastri.
Piastri was in the midst of his sophomore season in F1 at the time, and had already found himself on the top step of the podium at the Budapest and Baku rounds of the season.
Finish the sentence: In 2027, Oscar Piastri will be driving for…
He had cemented himself as a proven race-winner, but Webber was reportedly unhappy at Piastri being forced to play wingman to Norris as he attempted to topple Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship.
It has been suggested that Webber’s frustrations with how Piastri has been treated in certain instances at McLaren stem from Sebastian Vettel being favoured over him during his own time in F1 at Red Bull.
However, if the 25-year-old does end up replacing Verstappen at the team, he will certainly arrive in Milton Keynes as the man who they task with leading their charge out on the race track.
- READ MORE: Oscar Piastri faces direct repeat of what Christian Horner told Mark Webber after losing 2010 title
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
