While his future at McLaren is being discussed, Oscar Piastri presents a very different stance from that of Lando Norris.
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Could Oscar Piastri be tempted to leave McLaren in the future? Rob Smedley, former Formula 1 engineer, believes that a notable difference between the Australian and Lando Norris could fuel this hypothesis.
McLaren currently has the longest unchanged driver duo on the grid. Norris has been with the Woking team since his Formula 1 debut in 2019, while Piastri joined in 2023. Both also have long-term contracts.
This stability accompanied McLaren’s return to the top, culminating in their double win in 2025 with the constructors’ title and Norris’s drivers’ championship. But the sporting situation has become more complicated this season, especially for Piastri.
A dynamic favorable to Norris
McLaren failed to immediately maintain its benchmark status with the arrival of the new regulations in 2026. In this more challenging context, Norris has continued to regularly get the better of his teammate, extending a trend already observed during the second half of last season.
The British driver’s victory in Hungary, just before the summer break, only reinforced this dynamic. Aided by a significant upgrade to the MCL40, Norris gave McLaren its first win of the season.
Piastri’s situation was thus discussed on the High Performance Racing podcast. The hypothesis of the Australian leaving for another team was notably put to Rob Smedley.
The former engineer for Ferrari and Williams does not rule it out, on one essential condition.
“Yes, provided it is for a better team.”
Smedley highlights a difference with Norris
Smedley especially notices a difference in how the two drivers talk about their relationship with McLaren. Norris has never hidden his attachment to the team that allowed him to start in Formula 1 and with which he became world champion.
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“Lando always says: ‘I want to spend my entire career here.’ He is in the honeymoon phase, he loves the team, etc.”
According to Smedley, this type of statement is much less frequent from Piastri’s side.
“But you don’t hear Oscar much saying: ‘I’m going to spend my entire career here.'”
This difference in discourse obviously does not mean that Piastri is currently considering leaving. The Australian is still committed long-term with McLaren and has recently reaffirmed his confidence in the team’s ability to sustainably return to the front.
What future for Piastri?
The question could nevertheless become more important if Norris continues to gain the upper hand within the team. The reigning world champion and long-time McLaren driver now occupies a central place in Woking’s project.
Piastri remains one of the most highly rated drivers on the grid. After contending for the title in 2025, the Australian already has several wins and has demonstrated his ability to compete with Norris when the car allows him to fight at the front.
For now, no concrete element indicates that a departure is being considered. But in a driver market likely to see significant movements in the coming seasons, notably depending on Max Verstappen’s future, Piastri’s situation could become one of the files to watch.
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