(Motorsport-Total.com) – In the podcast Up to Speed, David Coulthard described Mark Webber’s public withdrawal as Oscar Piastri’s manager as a “natural development”.
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After many years alongside Piastri, the former Red Bull driver is not seen in the McLaren driver’s environment at Grand Prix weekends this year. It should be noted that despite this decision, Webber continues to act as manager for the third-placed driver in the 2025 Drivers’ World Championship.
“Well, I’m not a fly on the wall, but it feels like Mark and his wife Ann not only gave everything to get Oscar into Formula 1, but also to prevent him from joining Alpine in Formula 1, where he was supposedly supposed to drive,” said Coulthard.
The case between Alpine, McLaren, Piastri, and Webber made headlines during the 2022 summer break. After all, it was once assumed that Piastri would start for the pink-blue racing team from Enstone, and not for the Papaya team from Woking.
This step was the basis for the later battle for the 2025 World Championship, in which Piastri narrowly missed the title.
Coulthard continues: “So they brought him to McLaren, helped him at the beginning of his journey as a Grand Prix driver, and publicly contended with him whether McLaren’s approach, decided by the CEO, the board, the team principal, was the right approach to present racing to us.”
Here Coulthard refers to the so-called Papaya Rules. With the desire to treat both drivers equally throughout the season, McLaren provided talking points for fans and the specialist press. Ultimately, away from all criticism and scorn, they were able to secure both World Championship titles.
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Although Coulthard does not criticize the team’s decision, the Scot emphasizes that Webber’s withdrawal after such a dispute is anything but surprising:
“I think that once you’ve contended like that, or, to use Mark Webber’s phrasing, thrown yourself into the trenches with Oscar for his first chance at the title, then I believe the desire to withdraw and let him do his own thing is inevitable. Nobody can sit in the car with the driver.”
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Ironically, Coulthard mentions his old teammate Mika Häkkinen and his manager Keke Rosberg. Here too, Rosberg had decided to let Häkkinen go his own way, and with great success.
“I don’t think Mark retired from motorsport to suddenly be present at 24 Grand Prix races – not to hold Oscar’s hand, but to guide him through good times and bad. So, I think it’s just a natural evolution to this new setup, in which Mark and Ann continue to be involved.”
Coulthard, in particular, should know the Australian very well. Both competed in Formula 1 for Red Bull in 2007 and 2008.
In the current standings, Piastri is only in sixth place after three races, 51 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
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