Piastri stays at McLaren: Why Red Bull needs to be even more careful with Verstappen
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- Ludo van Denderen
McLaren is obviously hugely delighted with being able to secure Oscar Piastri for the long-term. As a result, the competition can therefore forget about bringing in the talented Australian for the next few years. That makes Red Bull Racing have to be even more careful with Max Verstappen.
Mercedes, Aston Martin, perhaps Ferrari? Should Verstappen decide to leave Red Bull behind at some point, it's probable that there are plenty of places to start anew. Not at McLaren, which has Norris and thus now Piastri under long-term contract. One wonders anyway whether the Dutchman would have fitted into the complicated papaya rules? Probably not.
Piastri's new contract may make McLaren have no room for Verstappen, but it also means that other teams can forget about signing the young Australian. And no one at Red Bull has ever said it out loud, but Piastri really would have been the perfect successor to Verstappen had he left the Austrian racing stable behind.
Piastri would have been a perfect fit at Red Bull
Piastri - like Verstappen - is an absolutely top talent, someone who does not shy away from anyone and has great PR credentials. If, of the current drivers at the top teams, anyone would be a perfect fit for the always cheeky - in the good sense of the word - Red Bull, it would be Piastri. It is not hard to imagine that Christian Horner would have ended up with Piastri if a new top driver had to be sought. A new Max, for instance.
So now that Piastri has been secured, it has become even more important for Red Bull to continue making Max Verstappen comfortable. Because suppose the Dutchman leaves, is there someone of his calibre who could have been brought in? Leclerc - actually a classic Ferrari driver - is fixed elsewhere, as is Piastri now. As for the rest, there doesn't seem to be a serious candidate on the grid.
Maybe Lando Norris? Who will only leave McLaren if he is beaten soundly by Piastri - which cannot be ruled out. In that case, he is also not the man to bring Red Bull another title. In short, with Piastri's contract, McLaren has not only struck an important blow for itself, but also against the competition. And so Red Bull can do nothing but pull out all the stops to really keep Verstappen where he is until the end of 2028.
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica.
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