Ex-F1 driver: I guarantee Piastri is already in talks with another team

Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes Oscar Piastri and his manager Mark Webber are already in talks with another F1 team due to growing dissatisfaction with the Australian’s position at McLaren.

Montoya, who competed in the World Cup between 2001 and 2006, said he could “guarantee” such talks would take place but said the real question was how unhappy Piastri was with the Woking team.

After Oscar Piastri led the title challenge, his form deteriorated sharply. One of the reasons for this was McLaren’s decision to ask the Australian driver to give up his position to Lando Norris at the Italian Grand Prix; It was the Englishman who later won the championship.

Piastri openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the team’s directive and admitted that it affected him in Baku, where he had his worst weekend of the season. The Australian pilot failed to realize the car’s potential in the stages in the USA and Mexico City, finishing fifth twice.

The situation was aggravated by McLaren’s failure to intervene in a fight between teammates in Singapore, which created the impression of Norris’ primacy. As a result, Piastri failed to win any of the last nine races, losing his 34-point lead and finishing the season 13 points behind Max Verstappen again.

According to Montoya, this situation forced Piastri and Webber to look for alternatives in the Formula 1 paddock.

“I can guarantee that Oscar Piastri and Mark Webber are already talking to another F1 team,” Montoya said. “I don’t think Mark is happy with Oscar’s development at McLaren. It’s clear he’s not very happy with the situation in the team. But the question is how dissatisfied Oscar himself is.”

The Colombian also emphasized that Webber’s own experience should not negatively affect his ward’s career. The Australian had a difficult relationship with Red Bull when he raced with Sebastian Vettel and co-drove with the German when he won four consecutive world championships.

“They need to be very careful to ensure that the scars from Mark’s own career do not affect Oscar’s future,” Montoya concluded.