Ralf Schumacher says it was ‘very important’ to McLaren that Oscar Piastri changed his manager

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McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has changed the set-up of his camp behind the scenes ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season, with Mark Webber taking a backward step.

It’s believed that McLaren put pressure on Piastri to change his team after last season.

Oscar Piastri missed out on winning the world championship, and some of the decisions made by McLaren didn’t always fall in his favour.

Piastri’s camp felt McLaren’s decision at Monza to swap positions went against him, and the Australian driver ultimately missed out on the title to Lando Norris.

What do you make of Oscar Piastri’s management reshuffle?

His former engineer Pedro Matos will focus on racing

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It’s believed that Mark Webber will be dealing with more of the commercial aspects of Piastri’s career moving forward, with Pedro Matos expected to attend more races.

Ralf Schumacher and journalist Peter Hardenacke have now reacted to the news and shared what they know about the situation.

The former F1 star thinks there was ‘a lot of pressure’ between Piastri’s team and McLaren by the end of last year.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

Oscar Piastri changing his management was ‘very important’ to McLaren, claims Ralf Schumacher

Schumacher was speaking about Piastri’s situation on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast, and he explained: “Yes, there’s a lot going on with Piastri anyway. With the new manager, Mark Webber was suddenly gone, and there was quite a lot of pressure there, too.

“After last year, from what I’ve heard, it was very important to McLaren that Piastri had a different manager this year to bring more calm. So, there’s a lot going on right now.”

Hardenacke replied: “The official line is that Mark Webber will now be working more in the background and will only be focusing on contractual matters.

“Someone else will be at the track, someone who has been with Oscar Piastri for a long time, since his Formula 2 and Formula 3 days.

“So, they know each other well. I still remember the final phase of last season. Mark Webber was constantly on the phone.

“The relationship between Zak Brown and Mark Webber had cooled, so to speak.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Ralf Schumacher sets out his stance on F1’s 2026 race starts after Oscar Piastri comments

One of the most fascinating aspects of pre-season testing thus far has been the practice race starts.

Plenty of drivers and team principals have voiced concerns about how dangerous they might be because of the added turbo lag this season, and cars at the back not being ready to go when the red lights go out.

Piastri suggested after the first week of testing that, ‘it could be effectively like an F2 race where you almost go into anti-stall or something. You’re not just losing five metres or so, you could be losing six or seven spots if it goes wrong.’

Responding to the Australian driver’s concerns, Schumacher said: “Well, we have the best drivers in the world, and if you ask me, you only need to watch a Formula 3 start. They have a similar problem.

“They drive at full throttle, then start off with the clutch. Of course, the start won’t be as controlled as we’re used to in Formula 1 or as the drivers are used to.

“That means it really depends more on the driver than ever, and they have to make sure they don’t have too much wheelspin or that they don’t overwork the engine.

“That’s where they see the risk now. But I repeat, these are the best drivers in the world; they have to be able to do it. Period.”