Webber Dismisses Speculation on Piastri's McLaren Contract

Mark Webber has stepped into the conversation surrounding Oscar Piastri’s future at McLaren, dismissing the recent buzz as largely fictional. The former F1 driver, who now manages Piastri, finds the idea that the young Australian is looking to leave McLaren rather far-fetched.

Rumors have been swirling about potential moves involving Red Bull's Max Verstappen and McLaren, suggesting informal talks might have occurred. This follows earlier, equally speculative chatter about a direct swap between Verstappen and Piastri. McLaren's Team Principal Andrea Stella has already publicly brushed off these notions as mere 'silly season' gossip.

Piastri himself, who is tied to McLaren with a multi-year contract, has spoken about his contentment within the team. During the British Grand Prix weekend, he reassured fans and media alike, saying, “I've got a contract in place, multiple reassurances that the team are very happy with me and I'm very happy with the team.”

Webber backed up Piastri’s statements, telling _RACER_, “Oscar is contracted to McLaren for the foreseeable future. Talk of him agitating to leave is nonsense.” He continued, “There has been a lot of fiction written about him and other teams… McLaren have repeatedly said they want him for the long term and Oscar is focused on that.”

These statements come after McLaren CEO Zak Brown expressed his satisfaction with the current driver pairing of Piastri and Lando Norris, both secured with multi-year deals. Brown commented on the Verstappen rumors by stating, “I’m very happy with my two racing drivers, Lando and Oscar. I think anytime a name like Max is thrown around, people get pretty excited – a four-time World Champion – but [I'm] very happy with our driver line-up.”

So, while the rumor mill continues to churn, Webber and McLaren remain steadfast in their support of Piastri, emphasizing a stable and promising future with the team.