Oscar Piastri reportedly wants to walk away from McLaren which will further fuel the rumours that Max Verstappen could join the constructor. Verstappen’s future has been up in the air for some time, with suggestions from the Dutchman that he could even walk away from Formula One altogether.
It appears an early retirement is unlikely at the moment but Verstappen is still fancied to leave Red Bull for a new challenge in the near future. And the first domino might be about to fall.
That’s because, according to Grand Premio, Piastri is considering activating a release clause in his contract with McLaren. It would see his deal terminated at the end of the season, paving the way for Verstappen to be ushered in as the Aussie’s replacement.
Piastri had been on course for the World Championship victory last year, but his performances unravelled in the second half of the season, with team-mate Lando Norris taking the title win. An incident in the Italian Grand Prix, where McLaren’s bigwigs favoured Norris over Piastri, is said to have fractured the relationship between the two parties.
It’s believed to have caused friction between Piastri’s manager, Mark Webber, and the McLaren hierarchy, with whispers that the former has been looking for a new team in the meantime. There’s an understanding that Piastri will never be the number one driver at McLaren, meaning a move away might be necessary for the 25-year-old to reach his full potential.
It’s said tensions have been unfolding at Red Bull, which could lead to Verstappen and Piastri confirming a sensational switch. Verstappen has been frustrated this season and following his retirement at the British Grand Prix, Jos Verstappen and manager Raymond Vermeluen were seen locked in a heated conversation with Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies.
Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until 2028, but it’s reported he has a clause that allows him to leave the constructor at the end of the 2026 season. Following his DNF at Silverstone, Verstappen is now unable to get into top two of the Drivers’ Championship before the summer interval – a development that grants him the power to activate his departure.
When pushed on Sunday’s showing at Silverstone, Mekies remarked: “Look, he’s right not to be happy. It is very unpleasant for drivers to be let down by the car in a high-speed corner in two consecutive races, let it be for two different reasons.
“And it is, in a much lower scale, also extremely unpleasant for us as a group to send our drivers to the gravel trap. So, he is right to be unhappy. I have no doubt that as a team that will put in place what is necessary for that not to happen again, even if we failed to do that today. We take that as seriously as one can do.”