Listen to Pit Talk here<\/a>.<\/p>\nJohnny Herbert, the three-time race winner, has meanwhile theorised that McLaren would make sense for Verstappen given its impending World Endurance Championship entry could facilitate the Dutchman\u2019s desire to one day tackle the 24 Hours of Le Mans.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a lot of spicy speculation.<\/p>\n
But how much truth is there to any of it?<\/p>\n
THE LAMBIASE THEORY<\/p>\n
There are lots of puzzle pieces in this story, and some are tempted to think they all fit neatly together.<\/p>\n
The most enticing is McLaren\u2019s poaching of Lambiase.<\/p>\n
Lambiase has been Verstappen\u2019s race engineer since the Dutchman joined Red Bull Racing in 2016, and he\u2019s become a key ally and confidant of the four-time champion.<\/p>\n
Verstappen told Dutch television after winning his maiden title that he didn\u2019t want to be engineered by anyone else and that when Lambiase stopped, he would stop too \u2014 though he has since walked back that stance.<\/p>\n
Their bond is so tight that Lambiase has remained his race engineer even as he\u2019s been elevated to higher duties at the team, becoming head of race engineering in 2022 and then head of racing in 2024 \u2014 high-profile roles with considerable workloads.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a relationship so close that Lambiase consulted Verstappen and received the Dutchman\u2019s blessing before signing his McLaren papers.<\/p>\n
Naturally, then, the theory that Verstappen must eventually end up at McLaren has gathered steam almost on its own.<\/p>\n
McLaren, though, has dismissed the idea out of hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t be happier with our driver line-up,\u201d McLaren CEO Zak Brown told Sky Sports. \u201cLando and Oscar \u2014 not only are they two awesome guys on the track, off the track, but as teammates, which is so much I think what\u2019s made McLaren successful here is the chemistry that we have in the garage, factory, with our pit wall all throughout the racing team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t be happier with what. We have and zero intention of changing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Piastri signed a long-term contract only last year that will keep him at the team until at least the end of 2028. Norris is on a similarly long-term contract that runs until at least the end of 2027.<\/p>\n
Brown himself is on a long-term deal running until the end of 2030, while team principal Andrea Stella signed a \u201cmulti-year\u201d contract in 2024 that some have speculated will expire at the end of 2027 but whose success will keep him at the team longer \u2014 notwithstanding rumours perpetuated by Red Bull Racing that he could defect to Ferrari in the coming seasons.<\/p>\n
With Norris the reigning world champion and Piastri clearly of championship calibre, there\u2019s no reason to doubt Brown\u2019s insistence that he\u2019s satisfied with his driver line-up.<\/p>\n
Further, with McLaren at the top of its game technically as the two-time defending constructors champion, there\u2019s no compelling reason for either of its drivers to quit the team to generate an opening for the Dutchman.<\/p>\n
McLaren are back!? 1-2 sprint triumph | 00:46<\/p>\n
THE PIASTRI THEORY<\/p>\n
Not for the first time, a driver market rumour has touched on the idea that Piastri and his management are not happy at McLaren.<\/p>\n
Usually the speculation asks for you to imagine your own reasons for this. If not, it dredges up the greatest hits of rumours suggesting McLaren was openly biased against Piastri and in favour of Norris in last year\u2019s title fight.<\/p>\n
While there were moments of unhappiness and even tension behind the scenes last year over various strategic calls from the pit wall that fell Norris\u2019s way, there was never a blow-up between team and driver.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because the bias theory was never really backed up by the facts.<\/p>\n
McLaren was certainly error-prone last year as it attempted to formulate strategies that wouldn\u2019t benefit one driver over the other, but this speaks more to a persistent weakness on the pit wall rather than a preference for Norris.<\/p>\n
We still see that weakness now \u2014 in Miami it probably cost Norris victory over Andrea Kimi Antonelli, but no-one is claiming the team is now biased against him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s a lot of good things that come from [McLaren\u2019s approach],\u201d Piastri said at the end of last season. \u201cYes, there\u2019s difficult moments and tension at times, but I think both Lando and I have become better drivers from pushing each other to the limit.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes that\u2019s been uncomfortable for everyone, but ultimately it\u2019s been a good thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a lot of discussions through the year, and I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll have discussions in the off-season about anything we want to do slightly differently for next year, but I think at the end of the day, they gave us both as good a chance as the team could have to fairly fight for a world championship, and that\u2019s all you can ask for.\u201d<\/p>\n
The idea, then, that Piastri is looking \u2014 or must look \u2014 for a way out of McLaren just doesn\u2019t stack up.<\/p>\n
Indeed forcing his way out of McLaren when it\u2019s at the top of its game would be likely be an act of career self-sabotage, especially given Red Bull Racing\u2019s unsteady state.<\/p>\n
Australian Grand Prix pushed back | 00:54<\/p>\n
THE WEBBER-RED BULL THEORY<\/p>\n
Inevitably the rumour connecting Piastri to Red Bull Racing runs through Mark Webber.<\/p>\n
Webber, the nine-time grand prix winner and 2015 World Endurance Championship titleholder, has been Piastri\u2019s manager since 2020.<\/p>\n
He was crucial to both getting Piastri into Formula 1 with Alpine and then to sensationally moving him to McLaren for his debut, where he\u2019s made good on all his junior promise.<\/p>\n
Though Webber\u2019s connection to then McLaren principal Andreas Seidl, who was his boss during his title-winning WEC season with Porsche, made it a seemingly obvious move, the Australian is far more closely aligned with Red Bull Racing in Formula 1, having scored all of his wins with the Austrian-owned team.<\/p>\n
That connection has meant Piastri is constantly rumoured to be destined for a Milton Keynes move at some point.<\/p>\n
But that link isn\u2019t as straightforward as it sounds.<\/p>\n
The Red Bull Racing that Webber competed for isn\u2019t the same one we know today.<\/p>\n
He had a close relationship with Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, whose personal backing was important to his stint with the team. Mateschitz died in 2022.<\/p>\n
Team principal Christian Horner has been sacked. Sporting director Jonathan Wheatley has left. Chief technical officer Adrian Newey has moved to Aston Martin. Chief designer Rob Marshall is at McLaren. Ciaron Pilbeam, his race engineer until his final season, is at Alpine. The list goes on and on.<\/p>\n
Webber of course is still a Red Bull athlete, retaining that connection, but he would naturally have fewer personal relationships with the F1 team given how much of it has dispersed in the more than a decade since he retired from the sport.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s before considering the question of whether Red Bull Racing is the place Piastri should be going right now.<\/p>\n
The team is far from the all-conquering force it was in 2023, when it won all but one race. It\u2019s declined markedly since then \u2014 the exodus of staff is part of that \u2014 and could be teetering on the brink of a stint out of contention for regular wins.<\/p>\n
It contrasts starkly with McLaren\u2019s status as a still-rising force in the sport.<\/p>\n
Webber\u2019s Red Bull connection may come in handy one day \u2014 never say never \u2014 but it\u2019s hard to see why today would be that day.<\/p>\n
Alex Marquez wins as Marc crashes out | 01:40<\/p>\n
THE VERSTAPPEN QUIT THEORY<\/p>\n
You\u2019d also have to wonder why Piastri would think Red Bull Racing is the place to go if Verstappen, perhaps the greatest of his generation, thinks it\u2019s not worth his time.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s part of the reason Red Bull Racing is fighting so hard to keep the Dutchman. It\u2019s not simply about his preternatural abilities; it\u2019s also the no-confidence vote his departure would represent, particularly if he were to move to a rival team.<\/p>\n
That, though, is a totally hypothetical situation today, because when we\u2019re talking about Verstappen\u2019s future, we\u2019re talking about whether he wants to continue in Formula 1 at all.<\/p>\n
The public contemplation of his future is about whether he\u2019s enjoying Formula 1 under these new regulations and whether he would be better off seeking satisfaction and professional fulfilment elsewhere.<\/p>\n
He insists it has nothing to do with Red Bull Racing\u2019s competitiveness. He said the team\u2019s much-improved showing in Miami, for example, did nothing to sway him one way or the other.<\/p>\n
We\u2019d have to assume that the sport agrees to rule changes for 2027 that satisfy his complaints \u2014 a long shot given the shrinking timeline \u2014 and that he then decides he wants to quit Red Bull Racing before any Piastri-related theory comes into play.<\/p>\n
This really is the first-principle question of this entire rumour.<\/p>\n
He would have to seek a move to McLaren \u2014 and McLaren would have to decide it would prefer the Dutchman to one of its drivers.<\/p>\n
On paper he\u2019s better decorated than both, but signing Verstappen is a big commitment that would upset the carefully calibrated team equilibrium McLaren has worked so hard to establish.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s especially the case given Verstappen has insisted for pretty much his entire career that he\u2019s unlikely to race deep into his 30s, meaning he would likely be a short-term prospect. Norris and Piastri could be decade-long drivers, by comparison.<\/p>\n
When you break it down, the Piastri-Verstappen straight swap is difficult to envisage and, in most cases, harder to justify.<\/p>\n
There are a lot of attractive pieces to the puzzle, but it\u2019s tough to see them fitting together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Formula 1 world loves a rumour \u2014 and you\u2019d better believe, with just one grand prix in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":654944,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[2074,2620,8454,2095,12295,13273,1724,64,63,18503,131169,316752,316748,316751,262045,22489,1199,316759,306817,254589,223205,59977,14210,316756,817,6239,316749,2755,813,816,22496,3875,841,86311,313608,46379,7983,870,316758,1737,312386,122383,122762,114904,859,5140,316753,117426,101416,316750,2041,2067,316763,2119,2114,316757,233598,13777,316747,31307,316754,78374,30966,316764,49513,13759,287168,316755,942,316762,2643,2812,85,51308,316761,13773,250684,316760,2614,29467,2753,2086,9657],"class_list":["post-654943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-adrian-newey","tag-agence-france-presse","tag-alex-marquez","tag-america","tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","tag-andrea-stella","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-driver","tag-australian-grand","tag-bull-theory","tag-calibrated-team-equilibrium","tag-career-self-sabotage","tag-championship-calibre","tag-chief-designer","tag-christian-horner","tag-compelling-reason","tag-crashes-outmotorsport","tag-defending-constructors-champion","tag-dr-ing-h-c-f-porsche-ag","tag-driver-line-up","tag-driver-market","tag-driver-market-rumour","tag-f1","tag-final-season","tag-first-principle-question","tag-florida","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-four-time-champion","tag-george-russell","tag-grand-prix","tag-grand-prix-winner","tag-italian-wonderkid","tag-johnny-herbert","tag-jonathan-wheatley","tag-juan-pablo-montoya","tag-junior-promise","tag-lando-norris","tag-leading-home-team-mate","tag-long-term-contract","tag-maiden-title","tag-marina-bay-street-circuit","tag-mark-webber","tag-miami","tag-muhammed-ben-sulayem","tag-night-race","tag-nine-time-grand-prix","tag-no-confidence-vote","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-oscar-piastri-max-verstappen","tag-pit-talk","tag-pit-wall","tag-professional-fulfilment","tag-puzzle-pieces","tag-qualifying-session","tag-quit-theory","tag-race-engineer","tag-race-engineering","tag-race-victory","tag-ralf-schumacher","tag-regular-wins","tag-reigning-world-champion","tag-rob-marshall","tag-sensible-thing","tag-seven-time-grand-prix","tag-singapore","tag-six-time-grand-prix","tag-sky-sports","tag-south-eastern-asia","tag-sports","tag-straight-swap","tag-swap-rumours","tag-team-principal","tag-three-time-race-winner","tag-times-people","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-way-things","tag-world-champion","tag-world-championship","tag-zak-brown"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=654943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/654944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=654943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=654943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=654943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776909012_441_poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n