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McLaren driver Oscar Piastri is on a long-term contract with the Woking-based team, but that doesn’t mean he’s safe from the speculation that could potentially dominate the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The F1 driver market wasn’t really a discussion point last season outside of the Red Bull drivers and how that potentially impacted Mercedes’ 2026 line-up.
This season, more than half of the current drivers on the grid know that they’re fighting for an extension to their current deals or the opportunity to join a team further up the paddock.
Oscar Piastri isn’t in that position at McLaren, with both he and Lando Norris tied down to long-term deals.
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However, Piastri has already been linked with various teams on the grid due to many believing he was unfairly treated under McLaren’s papaya rules.
His manager, Mark Webber, will know how talented his protege is, and if he doesn’t get the backing that some fans think he deserves, then he could start exploring his options.
Veteran F1 journalist Jose Maria Rubio believes that Piastri could end up being the ‘perfect’ driver to replace Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin if he finally decides to walk away from the sport.
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Rubio was speaking on Roldan Rodriguez’s YouTube channel about Piastri’s situation.
He said: “This year, I’m convinced that McLaren has gone for Norris, the Englishman, but we’ll see, and the other Australian, I mean, the Australian there was like the local lad.
“Look, I think Piastri will be racing for big teams for many years to come.
“And look, I would bet on Piastri [to go to] Red Bull or Aston Martin, but in the future, in 2027, Aston Martin could easily go [for him].”
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Rubio was asked if this would be in place for Alonso, and he continued: “Yes, yes, Fernando is retiring, because my opinion is that unless he has a car that allows him to be second in the championship and say, ‘Damn, if we were second this year, next year we’ll win.’
“I’m telling you that Piastri is a perfect candidate to replace Fernando.”
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Many of the best drivers on the grid are tied down to lengthy contracts, although these will all contain break clauses in case one of their teams fails to handle the upcoming regulation changes properly.
Alonso is approaching the end of his current deal with Aston Martin, and his hopes rest firmly in the hands of Adrian Newey.
F1 Oversteer has exclusively reported that Aston Martin are exploring an all-new 2027 driver line-up, with Piastri one of the drivers on their radar.
The Australian would fancy his chances if he were paired with Lance Stroll, despite his father’s ultimate ambition for his son to become world champion with the team.
There are concerns over Honda’s power unit going into this season, meaning Alonso’s hopes of being in contention for podiums and victories might already be over.
But, if Honda eventually iron those issues out, then Newey is likely to design one of the fastest cars on the grid, which could coincide with Alonso retiring and his replacement benefiting from a top car.
Piastri appears to be happy alongside Norris at McLaren, but if the Brit is favoured like Rubio suspects he might be, then suddenly there will be a lot of teams in the paddock chasing his signature.
Few have invested as much as Aston Martin, which would surely be near the top of the list.
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