As Sergio Perez continues to struggle to deliver the results expected of him this season, Red Bull is considering their options for pairing Max Verstappen in the future.
In his opinion, McLaren “played a blinder” to sign Oscar Piastri to a long-term Formula 1 contract, according to Karun Chandhok.
The Australian’s debut season in the sport has been outstanding. He was praised for the work he was doing behind the scenes to help McLaren advance even at the beginning of the year when the team lacked a competitive car.
And now he’s reaping the rewards as the Woking-based team puts its best foot forward. Piatri has amassed 83 points so far in 2023 and given his recent scoring rate, he is on course to break the single-season points total record for an F1 rookie.
So it’s no surprise that McLaren wants to secure its long-term future. Last month, the 22-year-old signed a contract extension that will keep him at the team until the end of 2026.
This can be an important decision. Christian Horner has made no secret of the fact that his Red Bull team will be looking for a driver at the end of next season, if not before, as the team is looking for someone who can deliver results consistently and support Assisting Max Verstappen – something Sergio Perez struggles to do.
But he also admitted that two “alpha riders” on the same team could split the team, which would rule out Lando Norris, who has long been associated with Red Bull. A superstar rookie with a lot of potential like Piastri could then be Horner’s ideal target. That’s why Sky Sports expert Chandhok thinks McLaren’s decision to tie him up is a great one. “I think it’s a really exciting time in the driving market because we’re on hold until we see what happens next year,” he said.
“I think McLaren and Zak [Brown, CEO] played a blind role in locking Oscar up because they had Lando for the next two years, and Oscar turned out to be a star, right? Isn’t that so?
“They have a steady run and in fact they’re in a pretty good negotiating position now because Lando is now tied up for the next two years, Oscar more than that. It’s going to be fun times, in the next two seasons., with all that.”
The Qatar Grand Prix saw Piatri claim its largest points total to date. He won the Sprint on Saturday and followed that up with a second place behind winner Verstappen in the main race – his best Grand Prix result of the year.