Oscar Piastri has been warned that flirting with a move to Ferrari could risk ‘breaking the harmony’ within the McLaren camp and damaging his relationship with Andrea Stella and Zak Brown.
The Australian was linked with a future move to the Scuderia in a report from Blick after the Singapore Grand Prix, with the Swiss publication suggesting that the 24-year-old, who is contracted with McLaren until 2028, is ‘setting his sights’ on opportunities away from the Woking-based organisation.
The 2026 season is projected to be an important year for the Formula One driver market. With the new regulations coming into effect during the off-season, the pecking order is braced for a significant shake-up, and this could cause some of the sport’s biggest names to shuffle their cards and move teams.
However, six-time Grand Prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya has warned Piastri against flirting with an exit from McLaren. “With Andrea Stella, it’s all about the harmony,” he told Fruity King. “And if somebody’s breaking that harmony, it doesn’t matter how good he is, it would not be a right fit for McLaren today.
“You can go internally and call Zak and say, ‘Hey, I didn’t say anything, we’re not talking to anybody, it’s more the media talking.’ But on the other side, if somebody asks you publicly about it, ‘You go, no, I didn’t say anything,’ and play it down.”
However, more likely in Montoya’s eyes is the possibility that the rumours were started by one of McLaren’s rivals. The Colombian ex-F1 star suggested that they may have originated from Red Bull, who could have taken a leaf out of Toto Wolff’s book after his public pursuit of Max Verstappen earlier this year.
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He explained: “The big question there is, is it just people stirring the pot, making stories up? At the end of the day, it’s a great way of stirring the pot and causing problems for McLaren. It’s a little like what Toto did with Max.
“Did he have a genuine chance of getting Max? Who knows. But it made headlines. The story about Piastri and Ferrari could be coming from Red Bull, for example. Somebody at Red Bull could be going, ‘This would be a great leak, just to stir up the pot and destabilise McLaren.’
“But at the same time, if you think Oscar is really good and know other teams want him, then this is a great way of saying on behalf of Oscar to McLaren, ‘If you want me, you’ve got to respect me.’ But for McLaren today, the team is above the driver.”