Webber has the formula for Piastri’s comeback: “He’s only in his third year in F1, he’s motivated”. Mark Webber believes Oscar Piastri will bounce back stronger after a difficult spell in Formula 1.

Oscar Piastri’s challenging period

After Lando Norris retired in Zandvoort, the 2025 F1 World Championship seemed clearly in the hands of Oscar Piastri. Beyond his points advantage over his teammate, Oscar Piastri had a strong feel for the McLaren that Lando Norris could not always replicate. However, the situation reversed over a few races, starting with that infamous Baku weekend, which may have also marked a mental turning point in the title battle. Mark Webber, the former Australian driver who faced a similar internal rivalry at Red Bull with Sebastian Vettel and is now Oscar Piastri’s manager, explains how he plans to help Oscar overcome this recent slump in performance and results.

Mark Webber’s comeback plan

“Well, we’ll try to turn things around, because,” the 49-year-old told English broadcaster Channel 4, “I don’t think he lacks motivation, let’s put it that way. He’s had a difficult period, but this is about character, about fighting with the deep motivation you need right now to get back into the battle. This is only his third year in F1, so he needs to find that character to react. Of course, it’s a journey for him. It’s also an incredible journey, because fighting for a world title so early in a career is quite unprecedented. I think the only one who did something similar before him was Lewis [Hamilton in 2007 and 2008], there aren’t many who have done this so early in their careers.” – the former Formula 1 driver pointed out.

“So naturally,” Mark Webber added, “this is something to consider when understanding the limits of the situation, without putting too much pressure on him. When I won my championship, I was an old hand—I was really old and at the end of my career (he was referring to the WEC World Championship with Porsche in 2015 at 39 years old)—while Oscar Piastri is just at the beginning of his. There are many nuances, and all of this should be taken into account. I’ll put a hand on his shoulder, give some encouragement here and there because I can see he’s motivated. He’s working hard, and he’s still just at the start of his career.”