Why Oscar Piastri could do to McLaren what he once did to Alpine amid Red Bull interest

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McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has been linked with a future move to Red Bull. Piastri is under contract until the end of 2026 but the reigning world champions are clearly interested.

Helmut Marko says Mark Webber is initiating talks over Piastri in his capacity as the 23-year-old’s manager. Webber scored all nine of his Formula 1 victories with Red Bull between 2009 and 2012.

Speaking in the paddock ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix (via F1), Piastri said there was nothing in the story and accused Marko of stirring things up. He’s ‘very, very happy’ at McLaren right now.

But F1 insider Ralf Bach suspects he may not be true to his word. The ‘two number ones’ dynamic at McLaren with Lando Norris might not be sustainable.

Zak Brown feels he has the best driver line-up on the grid, and that’s evidenced by McLaren’s 40-point lead in the championship. But the duo will naturally hamper one another in the drivers’ standings because they’re so closely matched.

There may come a point where Piastri realises that he has a better chance of winning a title as the clear lead driver elsewhere. And with Max Verstappen strongly linked to Mercedes for 2026, he could theoretically take on that role at Red Bull.

Oscar Piastri may see Red Bull as ‘the next career step’ in Formula 1

It wouldn’t be the first time Piastri has left a team in controversial circumstances. He memorably rejected Alpine in 2022 when they tried to announce him as Fernando Alonso’s replacement.

The Australian insisted that he hadn’t made any agreement to race for the team. McLaren won the ensuing legal battle after successful negotiations with Piastri.

Bach noted that the F2 champion didn’t necessarily show any gratitude to Alpine for supporting him and developing his talent. And he could be similarly ruthless with McLaren, the team who gave him the platform to score his first win earlier this year.

“Alpine actually wanted to build him up for 2023 then [he] switched to McLaren,” Bach said. “He wasn’t at all interested in the fact that Alpine supported him financially and made it possible to test drive with two-year-old cars.

“That was a complete wash because the next career step for him was what he saw at McLaren. If he now sees the next career step at Red Bull given the whole situation, then he would try the same thing.”

Why Oscar Piastri will never partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull

Piastri joining Red Bull would likely be contingent on Verstappen leaving. Christian Horner has shown a reluctance to disrupt the dynamic at Milton Keynes, where the Dutchman is clearly favoured.

What’s more, Webber will remember his own time at Red Bull, which saw the team increasingly drift towards Sebastian Vettel. He won’t want to put Piastri in the same position.

He likely sees an opportunity amid the world champion’s links to Mercedes. Tom Coronel says a Piastri-Verstappen partnership would ‘never’ happen, but he may be seen as the long-term successor instead.

It’s also worth noting that Piastri supported Red Bull as a child. He primarily followed Webber but also saw Vettel win four straight titles between 2010 and 2013.