SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium -- Oscar Piastri suspects any contact between Max Verstappen and McLaren in recent weeks has been a case of “exploring options”, saying he has been reassured he will continue at the team next season.
Media reports have linked Verstappen to McLaren in recent weeks and speculated that the Red Bull driver could swap teams with Piastri as early as next year.
A performance-related clause in Verstappen’s contract will allow him to leave Red Bull at the end of the year if he wants to, but sources have indicated a move to McLaren for 2027 is wide of the mark.
Asked on Thursday if he would remain at Red Bull in 2027, Verstappen said: “I don’t want to go here and say yes and no, and this and that, about my future.
“I’ve said already many times that if there was something new, I would say it myself.”
Both Piastri and his teammate Lando Norris are signed to multi-year contracts with McLaren that extend into next season.
When Piastri was asked if he would still be a McLaren driver in 2027, he simply said: “Yes ... I didn’t realise it was a point of contention, but yes.”
The Australian acknowledged the speculation, but said he had received reassurances from McLaren CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella that his position is secure.
“I mean, I’ve obviously seen some of it and heard some of it,” he added.
“For me, I’m very comfortable with where I am and where I sit. Zak and Andrea and the whole team have been great through that, very reassuring. I’ve been the same for them.”
A similar period of speculation surrounded Verstappen in 2025 when he was linked to a move to Mercedes that did not materialise.
Red Bull has made a relatively slow start to F1’s new regulations this season -- leaving Verstappen seventh in the standings after nine races -- and Piastri suspects the four-time champion is exploring his options.
“Clearly Max is feeling, I don’t know, maybe he’s not in a great position at the moment or exploring options,” Piastri said.
“It was the same thing last year with him and Mercedes, so it’s nothing new. But I’m very happy with where I’m at, where things are at and how it’s going.”
ESPN understands Brown and Verstappen have spoken in private recently, but Piastri suspects such talks are more likely to understand the situation in the driver market.
“I don’t know, I’m not really that bothered,” he said when asked if he wanted to know what the conversations were about. “I think it’s important for people to know where things sit, where the market sits.
“Any information you can get is good. So I trust the team here and the things I’ve been told and the belief in me. So that’s all I really care about.”
