Oscar Piastri’s camp could start ‘talking’ to Ferrari F1 rivals if he decides to leave McLaren

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McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has six race weekends ahead of him that will determine if he’s got what it takes to become a Formula 1 world champion.

The Singapore Grand Prix saw McLaren finally secure the constructors’ championship after they failed to win the title in Baku.

Oscar Piastri had his toughest weekend of the season in Baku, and followed it up with a frustrating outing at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Lando Norris closed the gap in the drivers’ championship by a further three points after a forceful move on the opening lap.

It produced one of the biggest talking points following the race, with Piastri upset over the team radio after Norris bumped him out of the way following initial contact with Max Verstappen.

Jolyon Palmer has suggested Piastri will be getting ‘paranoid’ at McLaren’s decision-making, and it’s easy to see why.

He was asked to move aside after Norris had a slow pit stop at Monza, told not to attack his teammate during the opening race in Australia, and leapfrogged by an alternative strategy that cost him victory in Hungary.

All of this has led to suggestions that the 24-year-old might be considering his long-term future at McLaren.

Piastri has been linked with Ferrari since the Singapore Grand Prix, with some reports even suggesting that Piastri and Charles Leclerc could swap seats, with the Monegasque driver becoming increasingly frustrated with the Scuderia.

However, journalist and commentator Nelson Valkenburg believes that Piastri’s camp will try ‘talking’ to another team instead of Ferrari if he’s serious about leaving.

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Oscar Piastri’s camp could talk to Mercedes instead of Ferrari if he wants to quit McLaren

Valkenburg was speaking about Piastri’s future on the Nailing The Apex Podcast, and he explained: “The interesting part is maybe not Ferrari, but let’s assume the Mercedes engine is as good as we all think it’s going to be.

“He is a whole lot cheaper than Max Verstappen for Mercedes, and that is all in the long run, of course, but I think personally Piastri would prefer not to go, but beat them [McLaren] against the odds if they feel it’s against them at McLaren.

“I think they’ve sort of been, not unlucky, but they’ve been a little naive, McLaren, and this whole Kumbaya mentality doesn’t work.

“It’s like a forced equality in a sport that isn’t equal, and it has bitten them now for sure.

“I don’t think Piastri will cut and run, but if there’s a moment that it’s unsustainable, then I don’t think it’s Ferrari, assuming the Mercedes engine is better, I think it’s Mercedes that they will be talking to.”

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What has Toto Wolff previously said about McLaren driver Oscar Piastri?

If Piastri were to end up on Mercedes’ radar, then the man he would need to impress is Toto Wolff.

Wolff is set to confirm George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli for next season, although both of their contract renewals seem to be taking an age to be made official.

That’s because Mercedes have held a long-term interest in Max Verstappen, but if he wasn’t available in 2027 and discontent started to grow between Piastri and McLaren, then the Australian would be a very strong alternative.

Earlier this season, Wolff told Antonelli he wants him to learn from Piastri and the way that he’s developed his tyre management.

He said back in June, “It’s not only about speed, how fast you can go on a single lap or in a race, but nurturing the tyres to drive as fast as you can, [and] at the same time, not sliding them and not making them overheat because you lose tons of lap time.

“That is the limitation for young drivers coming up. A good example is Piastri, who is leading the championship.

“It took him a year and a half, actually, to kind of catch up to Lando Norris, and it’s been the first year that he has an edge on him.”

Antonelli could be learning up close just how good Piastri is on his tyres if talks between the two parties end up happening.