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FIFA World Cup 2026 posterF1 "silly season": McLaren boss weighs in on Piastri trade rumour
SEN • June 2nd, 2026 1:18 pm
Silly season is already in session in the Formula One paddock with speculation over driver's futures dominating the headlines.
Despite having one of the strongest driver line-ups on the grid, McLaren are not immune from the rumour mill – particularly given the alleged internal rifts from 2025.
Twelve months ago, Oscar Piastri was leading the drivers’ championship and did so until his season began to spiral in early September with a disastrous outing at Baku which was compounded by a controversial team orders positional switch at Monza in the following race.
A 34-point lead on his teammate Lando Norris and more than 100-point advantage on third place Max Verstappen slowly dwindled before a double McLaren disqualification in Las Vegas saw Piastri become the underdog in a three-driver race for the title.
Ultimately, he finished the season third with Norris crowned champion in the final race of the year.
Moreover, there was relentless speculation that Piastri was falling victim to preferential treatment towards Norris behind closed doors at McLaren.
This year, after a frustrating start with the papaya, rumours of a move to Red Bull or elsewhere have been relentless.
McLaren have finally responded.
“You mentioned the silly season, and I think we are already fully in this silly season,” McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella said this week when asked about Piastri’s future.
“When we think about Oscar, we couldn’t be happier. I think we are seeing the best Oscar in the cockpit and also a happy Oscar, and the best version of himself outside the cockpit.
“Great dynamics and relationship with Lando, and I think the team is in its strongest shape since I’ve been team principal.
“So definitely it’s very clear, the direction for maximum stability at McLaren.”
Piastri - who is contracted until 2028 but we all know contracts mean very little in this sport - has been linked with a switch to Red Bull should Max Verstappen decide to retire or follow race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to the papaya in 2028.
Chasing a third consecutive constructors championship in 2026 has not started well for McLaren who sit third 113 points off leaders Mercedes but Stella insists he will not be lured by any deals himself.
“When it comes to myself, I’m definitely fully committed to McLaren,” he said.
“One of the things that makes me more proud of my experience as a team principal is that we managed to fill the cabinet at MTC with trophies, and this meant that we needed to create another area of the cabinet, a new one.
“And for me the mission is very clear: we need to fill that new area of the cabinet for the years to come at McLaren.”
The 2026 F1 season continues this weekend in Monaco.
