(Motorsport-Total.com) – Red Bull is reportedly interested in Oscar Piastri. In the course of the “Silly Season,” rumors also arose about a possible cockpit swap with Max Verstappen. But would such a move really be the right career step for Piastri?
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In the podcast High Performance Racing, former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer explains that Piastri should think carefully before leaving McLaren. Because the team from Woking recently won the Constructors’ Championship twice in a row.
While Piastri might possibly be the “number 1 driver” in another team, he would likely find it difficult to take on this role alongside world champion Lando Norris at McLaren. “But then this team would also first have to become the best team,” Szafnauer reminds.
Or in other words: The status as the number 1 driver in another racing team would bring Piastri little if the equipment there is not as good as it currently is at McLaren. Szafnauer recalls in this context that teams have often dominated Formula 1 for years in the past.
Between 2014 and 2020, for example, the drivers’ title went seven times in a row to Mercedes, and between 2021 and 2024 four times in a row to Red Bull. Consequently, according to Szafnauer, it would not have brought a driver much during this period to enjoy number 1 status in another team.
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The contract durations of current Formula 1 drivers
Therefore, Piastri might be better advised to try to assert himself against Norris at McLaren in the coming years. “I always thought that Lewis [Hamilton] would always beat Rosberg,” Szafnauer draws a comparison.
“And then there was a year when he didn’t manage it,” he recalls. In 2016, Nico Rosberg defeated Lewis Hamilton in the internal Mercedes duel for the world championship title, after the Brit 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 hastily.
At least not if the other racing team is not at McLaren’s level.
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