Oscar Piastri's manager, Mark Webber, has categorically dismissed as fiction lingering reports suggesting that McLaren's Australian driver might swap places with Red Bull's Max Verstappen. The speculation has been fueled by Verstappen's unhappiness with Red Bull's performance and a known break clause in his contract.
Verstappen's Race Engineer Moving to McLaren
Four-times world champion Verstappen's race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, has already signed a deal to join McLaren when his contract allows, by 2028 at the latest. This development, combined with Verstappen's dissatisfaction, has led to media speculation linking him to McLaren, despite the team stating they are happy with the current pairing of Piastri and world champion Lando Norris.
Piastri's Reassurances
At last weekend's British Grand Prix, Piastri addressed the rumors directly: “I’ve got a contract in place, multiple reassurances that the team are very happy with me and I’m very happy with the team.” The Australian driver remains focused on his role at McLaren.
Webber's Strong Denial
Webber told Racer.com that Piastri is contracted to McLaren “for the foreseeable future.” He added, “Talk of him agitating to leave is nonsense. There has been a lot of fiction written about him and other teams... McLaren have repeatedly said they want him for the long term and Oscar is focused on that.”
Verstappen's Crash Fuels Speculation
Verstappen crashed out of the British Grand Prix and described his car's rear wing as “super-dangerous,” further fueling speculation about a rift within Red Bull. However, Webber's comments aim to quash any notion of Piastri being involved in a swap.
