McLaren Racing driver Oscar Piastri was one of the strongest title contenders this season until he was not. The Australian driver seemed untouchable till the final spell of the season, where a handful of blunders cost him his dominant position.
Even in the finale at Abu Dhabi, Piastri still had a shot at the title; however, with Verstappen winning the contest and his teammate Lando Norris coming in third, the slim points difference granted the Briton the championship. Now, as F1 braces for the next season, a former McLaren driver recently hinted at Piastri’s potential switch to another team.
Origin of Rumors Of Oscar Piastri Leaving McLaren Racing
While there was no official confirmation from McLaren’s management, there was intense speculation about favoritism within the papaya camp. Many in the sport deemed that the team favored Norris over Piastri in the title contention, with some even directly calling out McLaren for its actions.
This naturally led to many speculations about whether the 24-year-old would stay with McLaren next year. However, Piastri himself has not added fuel to the speculation that he will leave McLaren for greener pastures.
Recently, rumors of Piastri’s future in F1 once again gained momentum when former McLaren F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya had things to say about the subject. In one of his recent conversations with the press, the former F1 driver declared that the Australian driver was in talks with other teams about his future.
Juan Pablo Montoya On Piastri’s Future In F1
Montoya emphasized that Piastri and his manager, Mark Webber, were far from pleased with how things turned out in the McLaren camp. He began, “I guarantee you that Oscar Piastri and Mark Webber are already talking to another F1 team.”
The Colombian driver then spoke about Webber’s stance in the matter and highlighted his disappointment. However, he stated that more than Webber, it was Piastri’s approach that would matter more. He continued:
“I don’t think Mark Webber was satisfied with Oscar’s development at McLaren. Mark isn’t very happy with McLaren. But the question is whether Oscar is very unhappy with McLaren.”
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The former driver also had some advice for Piastri. He referred to Webber’s personal scars from his own F1 career and warned the 24-year-old not to let that get in the way of making a decision. Montoya added:
“I think they need to be careful and make sure that Webber’s scars from his time as a race car driver have nothing to do with Oscar’s career.”
Piastri, being one of the brightest young talents in F1, has been the subject of numerous rumors about his potential move to another team, with some even linking him to Red Bull Racing as a teammate to four-time champion Max Verstappen.
