Red Bull Targets Oscar Piastri as Preferred Verstappen Replacement

Red Bull has singled out Oscar Piastri as its preferred replacement for Max Verstappen should the four-time world champion leave the team, multiple sources confirmed to Motorsport in the Miami paddock. While Verstappen remains under contract for 2025, team principal Laurent Mekies and Oliver Mintzlaff are preparing for the “unlikely yet plausible” scenario of his sudden departure, sabbatical, or exit from F1.

Why it matters:

With over 2,000 employees, the driver at Red Bull is more than an athlete—they are the linchpin of technical development, internal stability, and commercial interests. Relying solely on the junior academy is no longer sufficient; Isack Hadjar, while promising, cannot yet serve as the team's backbone. Targeting an established external star like Piastri marks a fundamental shift from Helmut Marko’s long-standing philosophy of promoting from within.

The details:

• Mark Webber's role: Piastri's manager, a former Red Bull driver, has been absent from the trackside this season. Piastri now works with his former F2 engineer Pedro Matos, streamlining internal dynamics at McLaren. Webber may be rekindling ties with his old team, potentially smoothing a future move.
• Strategic shift: Hiring Sergio Perez was already a deviation from Marko’s blueprint. With Marko gone, Red Bull is pivoting to a flexible model—using the external market as a structural tool. Piastri fits the profile: young, remarkably solid, highly competitive, with potential still to unlock.
• Contract situation: Piastri is under contract with McLaren through 2027. But F1 contracts rarely are insurmountable; once a driver’s intent to leave becomes clear, talks inevitably begin. McLaren CEO Zak Brown would likely turn a difficult situation into a major financial opportunity.

Between the lines:

A direct Piastri-Verstappen swap is an intriguing scenario, but there is no evidence that McLaren has interest in the Dutchman. Moreover, Verstappen’s frustrations are focused on F1’s new technical rules, regardless of team. Still, the very existence of Red Bull’s contingency plan reveals how seriously they view the possibility of losing their star driver—and how aggressively they are preparing to respond.