Red Bull has singled out Oscar Piastri as its preferred replacement for Max Verstappen, should the four-time Formula 1 world champion leave the team, Autosport understands.
Several sources confirmed this information in the Miami paddock, despite Verstappen being contracted for next year and the team adamant that this remains the case. Team principal Laurent Mekies and Oliver Mintzlaff are ready to move forward with the Piastri plan in the unlikely yet plausible scenario of Verstappen suddenly switching to another outfit, taking a sabbatical or leaving F1 altogether.
With over 2,000 employees at the Red Bull team, the driver is more than just an athlete; they are the linchpin around which technical development, internal stability and commercial interests revolve. For this reason, relying exclusively on the junior academy is not enough. While the team has been investing in Isack Hadjar, the youngster cannot be its backbone yet.
Mark Webber’s role in the shadows
Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Mark Webber
Foto di: Andrew Ferraro / LAT Images via Getty Images
Interestingly, Piastri’s manager Mark Webber was absent from the Bahrain pre-season tests. This season, the McLaren driver has decided to work with Pedro Matos, his former F2 engineer at Prema. Moving away from Webber’s constant trackside presence suggests an effort to streamline internal dynamics and foster more direct communication with the team.
Piastri himself decided to drop Webber from his trackside entourage, restoring a sense of calm within the McLaren garage. The move has paid off with podiums in Japan and Miami following an unfortunate start to the season.
Piastri seems to be performing seamlessly on and off the track, and his relationship with the team shows no residual tension from the closing stages of last season.
Meanwhile, Webber may have started scouting out alternative options. Renewed dialogue with Red Bull, his former team, would not be a surprise.
A strategic shift for Red Bull
To truly understand the logic behind these moves, one should look at the deeper transformation within the team: Helmut Marko’s exit. For over two decades, Marko was the architect of a clear-cut philosophy: growing talents to sit alongside a proven lead driver. It was a blueprint that worked seamlessly with Sebastian Vettel, then Daniel Ricciardo, and ultimately Verstappen.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing
Foto di: Mark Thompson / Getty Images
Hiring Sergio Perez – a move dictated by necessity rather than strategy – already marked a deviation from the established script. With Mekies at the helm of the team, Red Bull appears to be pivoting toward a more flexible model, using the external market as a key structural tool. In this scenario, Piastri stands out as the ideal candidate: young but remarkably solid, highly competitive, and with further potential yet to be unlocked.
What about a Piastri/Verstappen swap?
At Woking, everyone remains tight-lipped. Piastri is under contract through 2027, leaving McLaren in a strong position. Yet, history has shown that F1 contracts rarely are insurmountable obstacles; once a driver’s intent to leave becomes clear, talks inevitably get under way.
In that case, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown would be the key protagonist, looking to turn a difficult situation into a major financial opportunity.
An intriguing potential scenario would be a swap, with Piastri heading to Red Bull and Verstappen switching to McLaren. But there is no evidence that the papaya squad has any interest in the Dutchman. Furthermore, the latter’s frustration has been focused on F1’s new technical rules, regardless of which team he races for.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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