Although Oscar Piastri has a long-term contract with McLaren Racing, Red Bull would pursue the 25-year-old driver if four-time champion Max Verstappen departs at the end of this season, Autosport reported earlier this month.
That a team would have interest in Piastri, who is in his fourth F1 season, came as no surprise to McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.
“I would imagine there’s not a team on the grid that wouldn’t want to have Oscar and Lando (Norris) driving for them,” Brown told The Athletic in a recent interview.
“My general view, contracts aside, (is) our job is to create an environment where our drivers don’t want to drive anywhere else, or for that matter, our employees or our sponsors don’t want to sponsor another team. … I think there’s a lot of talent inside McLaren that other racing teams would like to have.”
Since debuting in F1 with McLaren in 2023, Piastri has won nine grands prix as a key piece of the team’s success. The Australian native did not make the start in the first two races of the season, but finished second in the Japanese Grand Prix after leading the opening stages.
“Yes, I think I am,” Piastri told The Athletic when asked if he felt he was in the right spot to win a world championship down the line.
“Last year, or even just through the years, I think the trust and the proof of how we can take a car, and almost a team in some ways, that has potential and actually realize that potential, is more than enough for me to see just what this team is capable of. …
“We’ve got all of the pieces of the puzzle that we want and that we need, and now it’s about trying to go out and execute and see how many championships we can win.”
–Field Level Media
