Rumours of a bombshell defection for Oscar Piastri away from McLaren to bitter rivals Red Bull continue to bubble away, despite the bayside Melbourne product saying in the build-up to the Mexico Grand Prix “as far as I’m aware, there’s no truth to it”.
Eyebrows were raised throughout the sport last week when Red Bull kingmaker Helmut Marko told F1 Insider that nine-time grand prix winner Mark Webber, now Piastri’s manager, was “intensively seeking conversation” with Red Bull about his client making the move across from McLaren.
Piastri, 23, is in just his second season in the motorsport’s top flight and put Formula 1 on notice this year with his stunning drives to win in Hungary and Azerbaijan.
His win in Baku on the shores of the Caspian Sea last month came from a brilliant overtake of in-form Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, whom he then kept at bay for more than 30 laps.
So it’s little wonder Piastri is a driver in high demand.
And according to 81-year-old Red Bull supremo Marko, it was Piastri’s camp that was looking to initiate discussion about a switch.
Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren makes guacamole with a Day of the Dead performer at the Mexican Grand Prix.Credit: Getty Images
It forced Piastri to address the speculation ahead of the Mexican round of the championship.
“It wouldn’t be a week in F1 without some comments from Helmut,” Piastri said.
“I think we all know that Helmut says a lot of things in the press. As far as I’m aware, there’s no truth to it.
“It’s a nice compliment, I would say … They (Red Bull) have quite a big pool of drivers that they can choose from if they want.
“I’m very, very happy where I am. The team (McLaren) have supported me massively since I came into F1 – they gave me my opportunity in F1. At the moment in the standings we’re in a very happy place, so I am more than happy with where I am at the moment.”
Red Bull consultant Dr Helmut Marko in Mexico.Credit: Getty Images
The motivation for Marko’s comments remains unclear, and they could well have been made in attempt to unsettle Red Bull’s main title rivals.
And the chances of Piastri leaving McLaren while under contract are incredibly slim.
But qualifiers from him like “at the moment” keep the rumours swirling. Formula 1 is as famous for the drama off the track as it is on it, and the driver market is constantly moving.
Daniel Ricciardo, one of the most popular drivers in the paddock and a star of the sport’s Drive to Survive Netflix series, was sacked by Red Bull mid-season and replaced by New Zealand star-on-the-rise Liam Lawson.
Lewis Hamilton is in his final year with Mercedes before making a blockbuster move to Ferrari.
Nothing is ever truly out of the question.
Even three-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen was linked with a potential move away from Red Bull as strife engulfed the team.
The driver in danger of losing his seat in Red Bull’s main team, however, is Mexican Sergio Perez, who admitted before his home race: “I know I’ve had a terrible season, a very difficult one.
“I think this is Formula 1 – sometimes the results are not coming, and you just have to make sure you keep your head down, you focus on the stuff that you can control, and the rest is something that you cannot get bothered with.”
Perez, now 34, hasn’t finished in the top five since the Miami race in May, and has had three DNFs (did not finish) in that time. He has won six races since arriving on the scene for the Australian Grand Prix in 2011.
McLaren announced a multi-year extension for Piastri in September last year, taking his deal through to the end of 2026.
Perez, meanwhile, inked a two-year contract extension with Red Bull in June but is way back in eighth in the driver standings. Piastri is fourth, and Verstappen is leading.
In 2022, Piastri was announced as Ricciardo’s replacement at McLaren in a stunning series of events that had him earlier announced, incorrectly, as an Alpine driver.
“To have that falsely announced was something my management and I felt we had to correct and there was also potential legal implications if we didn’t deny the announcement,” Piastri said, who subsequently announced on social media he wouldn’t be driving for Alpine.
With AP, AAP
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
