Oscar Piastri leaving McLaren ‘not unrealistic’ amid Red Bull interest thanks to contract clause

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Oscar Piastri is understood to be a serious option for Red Bull as they line up potential replacements for Max Verstappen, as it is not impossible that he could leave McLaren.

Red Bull bosses are well aware that the threat of Verstappen quitting the team at the end of 2026 is not one that they can simply ignore as he has a contract through 2028. Nor can they rely on Verstappen implying he will stay in F1 if the series changes the engine rules for 2027.

Verstappen is regularly threatening to leave F1 this year due to his utter hatred of the power units introduced this season. The four-time champion hates the increased role of the battery in the power split, and he is holding out hope for a change to a 60/40 split favouring the ICE.

Who other than Max Verstappen could Oscar Piastri have chosen as his toughest opponent?

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Oscar Piastri is a ‘serious option’ to replace Max Verstappen due to a performance clause

Should any F1 team block any changes to the engine rules, then Verstappen could leave Red Bull this year. It is said that Verstappen will have from August to October to trigger a release clause in his contract if he hits the 2026 summer break outside the top two in the standings.

READ MORE: The best moments of Oscar Piastri’s career in Formula 1

Red Bull hope Verstappen will give them a clear yes that he plans to stay with the team next season ‘soon’, fearing that any delay could leave them shopping for a replacement in a small market. That is according to De Telegraaf, however Verstappen is in ‘no hurry’ to decide yet.

So, Red Bull have identified McLaren rival Piastri and Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc as potential replacements for Verstappen, although the latter is now off the table. Ferrari signed Leclerc to a new contract earlier this week, which is said to tie him down through potentially 2031.

Piastri is a ‘serious option’ for Red Bull, however, as it is ‘not unrealistic’ that the Australian might decide to leave McLaren at the end of 2026. His contract with McLaren runs through 2029, but paddock ‘sources’ say a performance clause could allow the 25-year-old to walk.

Heading into this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, Piastri is only sixth in the 2026 F1 drivers’ standings with 48 points – just five more than Verstappen in seventh place. Mercedes star George Russell sits second with 88 points, with six rounds to go before the summer break.

It is unclear what the conditions are for Piastri to break his contract with McLaren at the end of 2026. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella also recently dismissed any suggestion that a move away from the team is on the table for Piastri, dubbing the rumours “silly season” talk.

But unless Verstappen commits to racing for Red Bull in F1 in 2027, Piastri’s name could stay on the lips of the Red Bull bosses who admire his services all the while the Dutchman’s exit clause is in play. It was a similar story last year while Verstappen was linked with Mercedes.

Verstappen only publicly committed to driving for Red Bull in 2026 once he knew his release clause was not available last summer. He needed to hit the 2025 summer break outside the top three in the standings, yet the Dutchman sat P3 when the paddock split for the summer.