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F1 pundit Ralf Schumacher has discovered the exact moment that Oscar Piastri “lost faith in McLaren” amid rumours that the nine-time Grand Prix winner will be leaving the team at the end of 2026.
Just days on from his tough display at the British Grand Prix, it emerged that Oscar Piastri is considering terminating his current deal with McLaren in order to facilitate a potential seat swap with Max Verstappen, whose restlessness at Red Bull this year has been no secret.
Which team should Oscar Piastri join if he leaves McLaren?
Now in his fourth season of racing in the pinnacle of single-seater motorsports, Piastri has cemented himself as one of the best drivers on the grid following the events of last season.
The 25-year-old led the F1 standings for the majority of the term, before a tough string of results saw his championship challenge implode as teammate Lando Norris reigned victorious instead.
The mistakes that Piastri made in 2025 were largely his own fault, but they may have also been spurred on by a lack of confidence in his team after they favoured Norris over the Australian during a certain race last year.
Ralf Schumacher says Oscar Piastri ‘lost faith’ in McLaren after Monza team orders
Speaking via the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, Ralf Schumacher revealed that the infamous McLaren team orders incident at the 2025 Italian Grand Prix marked a stark turning point for Piastri’s happiness at the British constructor.
“There are already rumours that Oscar Piastri is unhappy,” he began, before adding, “I’ve been told he lost faith in McLaren after Monza.”
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The use of team orders ultimately saw victory slip from the grasp of McLaren and into the hands of Red Bull’s Verstappen, which kick-started the Dutchman’s resurgence in the 2025 F1 title fight.
The rounds of racing that followed last year’s Italian Grand Prix then saw Piastri’s championship challenge unravel. The Australian failed to secure a podium at the next six races, allowing Norris and Verstappen to leapfrog him in the F1 standings.
Not only that, the number of points that Norris gained from the swap in Monza actually ended up being integral to his clinching of the world title at the season finale. The Briton gained three extra points that day and ended up beating Verstappen by just two.
While it is the first emergence of Piastri being burned by the orders, fans voiced their dissatisfaction with the move at the remaining rounds of the season. Norris’ wins in Mexico City and Sao Paulo were met with boos from the unhappy fans in attendance.
- READ MORE: Lando Norris explains how McLaren stopped Max Verstappen using dirty tricks in 2025 title decider
Many theorised on the implications of McLaren’s use of team orders last year, and it seems that it has now caught up to the Woking-based outfit, whose performances this season suggest a title defence is now completely out of the question.
The F1 driver market may be the only thing keeping fans of the British constructor on the edge of their seat for the remainder of 2026.
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