Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
McLaren CEO Zak Brown made a point over the team radio at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to tell Oscar Piastri how proud he was of his 2025 Formula 1 campaign.
Oscar Piastri ultimately fell short of his goal to win the drivers’ championship, but it must be remembered that he’s still in the early stages of his F1 career.
Nico Rosberg wasn’t a big fan of Brown’s radio message to Piastri, but the sentiment from the McLaren CEO was that he wants the Australian driver to become a world champion with the Woking-based team.
Oscar Piastri misses out on the 2025 F1 championship by 13 points…
Do you think he will EVER win a Formula 1 title in his career? Let us know in the comments
Lando Norris also paid tribute to Piastri, but the messages from McLaren might have been so positive about the 24-year-old because they’re worried about his long-term future.
It’s now believed that many people in the paddock at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix were talking about Piastri potentially leaving McLaren at the end of next season.
Journalists Rebecca Clancy and Ben Hunt were discussing the suggestions that Piastri’s team might have been reaching out to Red Bull during the final race weekend of the season.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend
Abu Dhabi paddock rumours suggest Oscar Piastri is ‘looking to join’ Red Bull in 2027
Clancy was speaking on the Inside the Piranha Club podcast and said: “What about this relationship between the drivers, because there were a lot of rumours about Piastri.
“We know that both McLaren drivers are signed on multi-year contracts; they never tell us exactly how long.
“Piastri’s contract is thought to the end of 2028; however, there were a lot of rumours in the paddock over the weekend that Piastri was looking to join Red Bull from 2027.
“How would that work?”
Finish the sentence: In 2027, Oscar Piastri will be driving for…
Hunt replied: “Well, it could definitely work. Who knows what’s going to happen next year with regards to Ford’s progress, whether Verstappen has enough, whether he wants to go somewhere else?
“There’s a lot that can happen next year with the change in regulations, and I think it’s very early to be talking about that.
“I’m sure conversations have happened with regard to the parties, and what if. You wouldn’t be a Formula 1 manager doing your business if you weren’t checking on people’s availability, so it’s entirely plausible that that could happen.
“But we won’t know until halfway through, or certainly a quarter of the way through next season.
“If Ford do come in with a super engine and Red Bull pull it all together, then Verstappen won’t be going anywhere, and people will be looking to join that team, and it’s not just Oscar Piastri, it’s probably all of them lining up to join.
“But I don’t know if that’s going to happen because Ford still have quite a lot of work to do behind the scenes.”
READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links
Has Oscar Piastri changed his mind on racing for Red Bull in the future?/
Piastri is one of the most talented drivers in the paddock, and his age means that he’s got the potential to surpass the likes of Norris over the coming years.
That would make him a very attractive option for Red Bull, or any other leading team on the grid, with Aston Martin also linked with Piastri.
Speaking to Sport in April when first linked with Red Bull, Piastri said: “That’s flattering, of course, but ultimately, I don’t care at all. I see my future at McLaren. That’s why I recently extended my contract early beyond 2026.
“You never know how good a team will be. I’m confident we’ll continue to be at the front. The development we’ve undergone is incredible.
“At the beginning of 2023, we were last, now we’re the ones with the best car – and that without a rule revolution. We now want to crown this journey by winning both world championship titles.”
If Piastri feels that McLaren’s treatment of their two drivers ever starts leaning towards his teammate, then the links to the likes of Red Bull will quickly strengthen.
Until then, it’s best for every driver to be patient and see how the 2026 pecking order shakes out.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
