Oscar Piastri: “Max Verstappen is quite obviously not feeling comfortable”

It’s the same story every year: the Formula 1 driver merry-go-round is gathering pace at this time of year, and speculation about possible team changes and newcomers is growing ever louder. Max Verstappen has been a favourite subject of rumour-mongers in recent years. The exceptional talent from the Red Bull Racing team makes no secret of his criteria: he wants a competitive car with which he can fight for victories and titles.

This fires the imagination of the media, who repeatedly link him with various Red Bull Racing rivals. For a long time, the Dutchman was rumoured to be moving to the Mercedes works team, a narrative fuelled in part by comments from team principal and managing director Toto Wolff, who more or less openly courted the 28-year-old’s services. However, the Viennese executive recently made it clear that he intends to stick with the current driver line-up in 2027 as well.

This was followed by rumours of a move to the McLaren team, with Verstappen reportedly set to take over from Oscar Piastri, who in turn is said to be joining Red Bull Racing. The Australian, however, wants nothing to do with it. In the paddock at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, when asked whether he would be chasing points for McLaren next year as well, he simply replied: “Yes.”

And Piastri emphasised that McLaren CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella had assured him that he had nothing to fear: “I wasn’t aware that this was a point of contention. Of course, I’ve seen and heard some of the rumours, but I feel very comfortable where I am and where I stand, and Zak and Andrea have been a great support to me in this situation and given me a lot of confidence.”

In light of the speculation, the nine-time Grand Prix winner also explained: “Obviously, Max doesn’t feel he’s in a good position at the moment and is exploring various options. It was the same with him and Mercedes last year, so it’s nothing new, but I’m very happy with my situation and how things are developing.”

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