In the whirlwind of speculation surrounding F1 driver changes, triggered by Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari, Australia’s rising star Oscar Piastri has made it clear that he is quite satisfied with his current team.
During the relatively understated launch of McLaren’s 2024 car in England this week, Piastri, who had a standout debut season, shared an optimistic outlook on his second year with the team.
The F1 world has been abuzz with the news of Hamilton, a seven-time champion, leaving Mercedes for Ferrari at season’s end, sparking widespread speculation about possible driver shifts, including Fernando Alonso being seen as a potential recruit for Mercedes.
Amid this backdrop, the success of 22-year-old Piastri in his first year has led to rumors about his future and whether he might have a clause in his contract allowing him to leave.
However, Piastri, who secured ninth place in the championships in his debut season, expressed complete satisfaction with his position at McLaren, where he partners with Lando Norris. He emphatically stated to Sky Sports, “I certainly wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I’m very, very happy at Team McLaren.”
When asked by Sky Sport whether he felt confident in McLaren’s potential to achieve his career goals, especially after extending his contract through the end of 2026, Piastri remained positive despite a challenging start in 2023.
“I definitely think so,” Piastri elaborated. “I know that I’m at a team that, firstly, wants me. They’ve secured me for long-term and that was something they didn’t need to do so early if they didn’t want to.
“So for me, that’s a massive show of faith and I’m very, very happy with where I am. Obviously, I’m going to be alongside Lando for the years to come as well, which is cool and it’s nice to have sort of a consistent benchmark.”
“Now 12 months on from my debut, I feel much more at home with the team and in a much more comfortable position. I know everyone’s name now which is nice. Just those little things will hopefully make the season a little bit easier from the start.
“You always try to beat everybody out there. Your teammate is always the first measure because you’re in the same car and, of course, I want to try and beat Lando but it’s still important for us to work together and try and get McLaren well and truly to the front.
“We’d rather be fighting each other for first and second than for further down in the top 10. So we’re going to work together just as well as we had done in the last 12 months and see what we can do with this new car.”
