Oscar Piastri exit bombshell as rival teams make quiet moves
Season promise fades after late collapse
Oscar Piastri finished the 2025 Formula One season third in the Drivers’ Standings, behind McLaren teammate Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. It marked the strongest championship result of the Australian’s career to date.
For much of the year, the outcome appeared very different. Piastri claimed seven Grand Prix victories, won one sprint race and stood on the podium 16 times. After the Dutch Grand Prix in August, he led Norris by 34 points and held a commanding 104 point advantage over Verstappen.
That cushion vanished over the final stretch of the calendar. Between Zandvoort and the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Piastri failed to secure another win and ultimately finished the year just one point behind Verstappen.
Internal pressure grows at McLaren
As the title fight intensified, pressure inside McLaren became increasingly visible. Several on track and strategic flashpoints highlighted strain between Piastri and Norris as both drivers chased the championship.
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At Monza, team orders required Piastri to surrender position to Norris. Later in Singapore, the two made contact while battling for track position. Those moments fuelled debate over how McLaren managed its drivers during a decisive phase of the season.
The incidents also prompted wider discussion about how comfortably Piastri fit within a team pushing for its first Drivers’ title in years.
Montoya signals rival interest
Speculation surrounding Piastri’s future sharpened following comments from former McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya. According to Sportsbible, Montoya believes discussions with rival teams may already be taking place.
“I guarantee you that Oscar Piastri and Mark Webber, his manager, are already talking to another F1 team,” Montoya said.
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“I don’t think Mark Webber was satisfied with Oscar’s development at McLaren. Mark isn’t very happy with McLaren. But the question is whether Oscar is very unhappy with McLaren.”
Montoya also warned that any decision would need careful handling, suggesting Webber’s own experiences as a driver could shape how Piastri’s future is approached.
Confidence publicly remains as questions persist behind the scenes
Despite the speculation, McLaren leadership has continued to voice confidence in Piastri. Chief Executive Zak Brown has said the 24 year old “is going to be a world champion” with the team.
Piastri himself has indicated he intends to reflect on the closing phase of the season, which marked only his third year in Formula One. With the 2026 campaign set to begin in Melbourne, attention now turns to whether lessons from 2025 strengthen long term commitment or quietly accelerate change.
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Sources, Sportsbible
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