Oscar Piastri has been here before, at the centre of Formula 1’s “silly season”. Who could forget the “bizarre and frankly upsetting” scenes four years ago as Alpine announced him as their driver before the team’s legal wrangle with McLaren for his services?
As drivers and teams manoeuvre, the focus is on who will keep, move or be ditched from the most coveted seats in motor sport.
The driver market is intense, and this year’s is in overdrive, with Piastri in the thick of it as reports fly about a potential Max Verstappen defection to McLaren – which could knock Piastri out of the papaya-coloured English team with which he entered F1.
Piastri, 25, is under contract until 2028, pocketing up to $US26 million a year, but his relationship with McLaren has been strained since his title battle with teammate and No.1 driver Lando Norris last year.
As Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, which has close links to the Verstappens, said: “It is not a truly healthy situation.”
The four-time world champion also has a trigger clause, open to him should he not be in the top two by the summer break. He sits seventh with just 76 points from nine races, and cannot reach that target.
Verstappen added fuel to a potential shift over the weekend, having crashed out of the British Grand Prix.
“When the rear wing doesn’t close fully, you lose a lot of downforce, and you spin off the track,” a frustrated Verstappen said. “So, yeah. One time, OK, but two times … this is becoming dangerous for myself. And obviously, I don’t want that.”
Mercedes, longstanding admirers of Verstappen, appear to have committed to Kimi Antonelli and George Russell for 2027. As have Ferrari to Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
That leaves Verstappen pondering a shift to McLaren, although McLaren boss Zak Brown has reaffirmed he is “happy” with Piastri and Norris, and does not expect to make changes.
When asked about the rumours of a switch to Red Bull last month, Piastri said he was happy at McLaren.
“It is news to me. There’s obviously not been any discussions or anything, but it’s flattering and there’s not really much more than that, really,” he told Autosport.
“I think, hopefully, it proves my stock as a driver, which is a nice thing, but I’m very happy with where I am.”
To accommodate Verstappen, McLaren would have to find $US70 million a year, the sport’s highest-paid driver having signed with Red Bull through 2028.
The blunt and opinionated Verstappen can also provide headaches off the track. One theory is that Brown is using Verstappen to apply pressure to his drivers.
However, it must be noted that Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, who is also Red Bull’s head of racing, is leaving for McLaren at the end of the season.
Verstappen could even quit the sport altogether, which he has flagged as an option at times this season.
What lever can Piastri pull?
Should Piastri and his manager Mark Webber, the former Australian Formula 1 ace, officially declare it’s time for change, Piastri reportedly could activate his release clause and terminate his contract.
This release clause is available to him should he not be among the top five in the drivers’ standings by the time the northern summer break arrives, London’s Telegraph has reported.
He currently sits sixth (82 points), with two more races before the break, beginning with the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend.
Lewis Hamilton notably activated his release clause in 2024, allowing him to leave Mercedes for Ferrari. As Formula 1 contracts are confidential, the exact number of drivers who have activated release clauses is unclear.
Webber may push Piastri to activate his clause as he knows what it’s like to deal with second driver syndrome from his own driving days with Red Bull, when he was second wheel to four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel.
What’s gone wrong this season?
After the drama of the opening two rounds, when Piastri failed to even start at his home grand prix, having crashed out during the reconnaissance lap, followed by a shock 19th placing in China, Piastri appeared on the rise in Japan (second) and Miami (third). But his campaign has never really got going.
His car hasn’t been up to scratch, an underdeveloped chassis lacking downforce, while the new engine rules have also hurt.
The frustration Piastri felt at Silverstone was palpable. Having started eighth on the grid, he edged Norris before there was damage to his front wing. Instead of being called into the pits immediately, Piastri remained on track until the end of the second lap, having dropped to 14th. When he returned with a new front wing, he had slipped to 21st – his afternoon over.
“Our pace was a bit stronger today, and the car was better in clean air, but the collision meant we couldn’t capitalise on any of it,” Piastri said, having previously never finished lower than fourth at Silverstone.
“The team are working hard to improve the car, especially around rear grip, so we will keep pushing. We’ll debrief and turn our focus to Spa.”
What now?
The circus lands at the picturesque Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium from July 16 (with the race on July 19), where Piastri and Verstappen will need to quickly refocus.
But speculation about their futures will continue to dominate headlines, with both men to face a ravenous media pack.
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Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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