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\nBut surprisingly, the biggest players in the driver market seem to be the ones who have signed on the dotted line for many more years to come. <\/p>\n
\nBoth Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen<\/a> are contracted to race for McLaren and Red Bull respectively until 2028, but as 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button put it earlier this week: “Money talks.”
<\/p>\n \nSo how realistic is it to say Piastri and Verstappen are on the brink of a seat swap?
<\/p>\n \nHere’s what we know so far.
<\/p>\n \nF1 HEADLINES: FIA boss issues Horner statement as Newey returns to Red Bull<\/a>
<\/p>\n Will Max Verstappen<\/a> activate early Red Bull contract exit?<\/p>\n \nSpeculation about a seat swap deal between Verstappen and Piastri has mostly come about as a result of Verstappen’s performance-based clause<\/a> which allows him to activate an early exit from anytime between the summer break and October.
<\/p>\n \nRelations between the Dutchman, his personal team and both the Red Bull F1 and Red Bull GmbH management are reportedly getting frostier by the day with the energy drink giants said to be growing frustrated at Verstappen’s inability to commit<\/a> to them long term.
<\/p>\n \nIf Verstappen was to leave Red Bull for 2027 however, there aren’t many spaces available on the grid when you look at the current contracts held by his rivals on the surface.
<\/p>\n \nMercedes are yet to officially announce contract extensions for both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, but all parties involved including team boss Toto Wolff seem to have moved on from the idea of signing Verstappen<\/a> for now.
<\/p>\n \nFerrari<\/a> could be an option for Verstappen if he can hold out until 2028, but even that isn’t set in stone with Lewis Hamilton<\/a> telling his home crowd at Silverstone last weekend: “I’m not going anywhere.”
<\/p>\n \nSo that leads us to McLaren<\/a>, who, if you believe everything you read online, have one unhappy driver among their ranks.
<\/p>\n Does Oscar Piastri want to leave McLaren? \nWe are less than two weeks into July, the month of Verstappen’s deadline to be in the top two of the championship, and already rumours have run rife about a potential seat swap for Piastri and his Red Bull rival.
<\/p>\n \nVerstappen currently sits way down in P7 in the drivers’ standings<\/a>, so we know that contract clause is ready to be activated, but is there even space for him at McLaren?
<\/p>\n \nFirst of all, if a driver’s management team only enquired about a potential move when they knew a seat had become available, they wouldn’t be doing their jobs correctly.
<\/p>\n \nSecondly, reports that Piastri is looking to kickstart an early exit plan of his own are unconfirmed.
<\/p>\n \nGPFans understands both McLaren and Piastri are happy with the partnership, a message which was echoed by Zak Brown in the FIA press conference at last weekend\u2019s British GP.
<\/p>\n \nWhen asked by media in Silverstone what he could share about the supposed chats McLaren had held with Verstappen and his team, the McLaren Racing CEO replied: “They\u2019re rumours? No conversations.”
<\/p>\n \nFurther hammering home the party line, Brown continued: “I\u2019m very happy with my two racing drivers, Lando and Oscar, and I think any time a name like Max is thrown around everyone gets pretty excited. Four-time World Champion, but very happy with our driver line-up.”
<\/p>\n \nThe American then clarified once and for all that if a move to the papaya squad was to happen one day for the 28-year-old, it wouldn’t be any time soon.
<\/p>\n What has Piastri said about McLaren F1 exit reports?<\/p>\n \nAmid the reports that it could be Verstappen donning the papaya race suit next season and not Piastri, the Aussie F1 star broke his silence on the speculation before his team’s home race at Silverstone.
<\/p>\n \nAhead of the British GP track action last Friday, Piastri told F1.com<\/a> that the rumours hadn’t impacted him.
<\/p>\n \n“It doesn’t really mean much to me. I think Max doesn’t need to be spoken about much in terms of his talent.
<\/p>\n \n\u201cI’ve got a contract in place, multiple reassurances that the team are very happy with me and I’m very happy with the team.
<\/p>\n \n“For me, I’m very happy where I am and very happy with the situation I’m in. Just trying to continue the success that we’ve had in the last few years.\u201d
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\n![\"Zak](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/f714c04818d7f219ae80b6cd3ef08a9a5a632e0a.jpg\"\/)
Zak Brown has continuously shut down reports of a change in driver lineup at McLaren<\/p>\n