McLaren's Brown Scoffs: Piastri Won’t Be Joining Red Bull

McLaren’s Zak Brown dismisses speculation, assuring that Piastri remains committed despite rumours fueled by Red Bull’s Helmut Marko.

Contrary to Helmut Marko’s claims, Zak Brown maintains that Oscar Piastri is “going nowhere” as he still has several years remaining on his contract with McLaren F1.

Red Bull is reportedly considering parting ways with Sergio Perez due to his current struggles.

The Mexican driver has not reached the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix, and his poor results have negatively impacted Red Bull in the constructors’ championship. The team has fallen behind McLaren and risks losing third place to Ferrari.

This situation, combined with McLaren’s team orders favouring Lando Norris, has led to speculation that Piastri might already be looking for another team.

“Let’s put it this way: Mark Webber is keen to have discussions,” remarked Marko provocatively.

Webber, who manages Piastri, has a strong relationship with Red Bull, having spent seven years racing for the Milton Keynes-based team.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown dismissed the rumours, suggesting it was just Marko “making noise.”

Brown addressed the topic while fielding a question about Pato O’Ward’s performance in FP1 at the Mexican Grand Prix and the possibility of the IndyCar star making a future transition to Formula 1.

“I truly believe that Pato is capable of being a Formula 1 driver. But, you know, we are obviously very satisfied with our two guys, and we’ve got them signed on for some time. They aren’t going anywhere, despite the speculations coming from another team boss.”

What if Piastri were to leave after his contract ends?

“Pato is more than capable of being a Formula 1 driver. And you never know—your drivers might have an appendicitis, catch COVID, or face all sorts of situations. So, we always want to ensure we have a well-prepared driver in case we need to bring someone in.”

“But Oscar is happy with us, he understands the team’s dynamics, and he knows he’s well treated. If he ever outperforms Lando in the championship, he would get the support. There is no default number two driver with us, unlike at Red Bull. So, why would he lock himself away?”