Mark Webber dismisses Oscar Piastri exit rumors and reaffirms McLaren commitment
After several days of intense speculation surrounding a possible Formula 1 driver market shake-up involving Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, the Australian driver’s manager, Mark Webber, has firmly denied any suggestion that his client could leave McLaren.
The rumors gained momentum following developments involving Max Verstappen’s management, with some reports suggesting that a future seat swap between the Dutch champion and Oscar Piastri could become a realistic possibility. However, speaking to RACER, Webber categorically rejected those claims, making it clear that the Australian has no intention of leaving the Woking-based team.
Speculation had suggested that Oscar Piastri could activate one of the now-familiar performance-related clauses in his contract to leave McLaren at the end of the current season. According to Webber, however, there is absolutely no truth behind those reports.
“Oscar has a contract with McLaren for the foreseeable future,” Webber told RACER. “The rumors about him leaving are completely unfounded. There have been many stories written about him and other teams. McLaren have repeatedly stated that they want him for the long term, and Oscar is fully focused on that.”
Webber was, of course, the architect of Oscar Piastri’s highly controversial move from Alpine to McLaren, a transfer that became one of the biggest Formula 1 stories in recent years. Because of his own successful history with Red Bull, many believed he could also be the ideal figure to negotiate a future switch to Milton Keynes if such an opportunity arose. His latest comments, however, appear to close that door completely.
What does this mean for Max Verstappen’s future?
Mark Webber’s clear stance regarding Oscar Piastri could also have significant consequences for the future of Max Verstappen.
The four-time world champion has been heavily linked with a departure from Red Bull, but if McLaren is no longer a realistic destination, the list of competitive alternatives becomes remarkably short. Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren all appear to have their driver line-ups effectively secured through the 2027 season, leaving very few front-running options available.
Should Max Verstappen genuinely decide to end his long-standing relationship with Red Bull, he may be forced to consider alternatives that would have seemed unthinkable only a few months ago. Those possibilities could include taking a sabbatical from Formula 1 or temporarily stepping away from the championship altogether to explore opportunities in other racing categories before potentially returning in the future.
There is, of course, one intriguing possibility involving McLaren outside Formula 1. The British team is set to enter the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class in 2027, opening the door to an entirely different type of racing programme.
For now, though, the idea of seeing Max Verstappen join McLaren’s WEC project remains nothing more than an extremely speculative piece of driver market fantasy. At this stage, Webber’s comments have instead reinforced one key message: Oscar Piastri’s future remains firmly tied to McLaren, while the uncertainty surrounding Max Verstappen’s next career move continues to dominate Formula 1’s driver market discussions.
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