Otmar Szafnauer warns Oscar Piastri against leaving McLaren – Why the Australian wouldn’t necessarily be happier at another team
Red Bull is reportedly interested in Oscar Piastri. Amid the “Silly Season,” rumors have also surfaced about a possible driver swap with Max Verstappen. But would such a move really be the right career step for Piastri?
On the High Performance Racing podcast, former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer explains that Piastri should think carefully before leaving McLaren. After all, the Woking-based team has won the Constructors’ World Championship twice in a row.
While Piastri might be the “number-one driver” at another team, he would likely struggle to assume that role at McLaren alongside world champion Lando Norris. “But then that team would first have to rise to become the best team,” Szafnauer points out.
Or to put it another way: The status of being the number-one driver at another team would do Piastri little good if the equipment there isn’t as good as it currently is at McLaren. In this context, Szafnauer points out that teams have frequently dominated Formula 1 for years in the past.
Between 2014 and 2020, for example, the drivers’ championship went to Mercedes seven times in a row, and between 2021 and 2024, it went to Red Bull four times in a row. Consequently, according to Szafnauer, it wouldn’t have done a driver much good to enjoy number-one status at another team during that period.
From that perspective, Piastri might be better off trying to assert himself against Norris at McLaren in the coming years. “I always thought Lewis [Hamilton] would always beat Rosberg,” Szafnauer draws a comparison.
“And then there was one year when he didn’t manage to do it,” he recalls. In 2016, Nico Rosberg defeated Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes-internal battle for the world championship title, after the Briton had previously come out on top twice.
“Something similar could happen [at McLaren],” says Szafnauer, who clarifies that Piastri is “a great driver.” “But so is Lando,” he emphasizes. Nevertheless, in his opinion, Piastri should not leave the team in a rush.
At least not if the other team isn’t on the same level as McLaren.