Piastri explains why Verstappen’s ‘wiggle room’ in Red Bull extension changes little for him

Oscar Piastri says Max Verstappen’s Red Bull extension doesn’t change his McLaren future, but it also doesn’t mean that his Red Bull seat is signed off until 2030.

While multiple sources told PlanetF1.com that Verstappen was in talks with McLaren, potentially in line for Piastri’s race seat, the Dutchman opted to remain with Red Bull.

Oscar Piastri addresses Max Verstappen’s Red Bull contract extension

Red Bull announced in the build-up to the Dutch Grand Prix that Verstappen would not only continue with the team in F1 2027, but that he had also extended his contract by a further two years to 2030.

That decision has all but affirmed that Piastri will be a McLaren race driver next season, racing alongside Lando Norris.

Following on the Verstappen announcement, Norris was confirmed by McLaren for next season and beyond as he too signed a new long-term deal. Like Verstappen, he is committed – at least on paper – to his current team through to 2030.

Piastri, though, says just because Verstappen and Norris have re-signed with their respective teams that doesn’t mean speculation about their futures in Formula 1 will be silenced.

After all, there are exit clauses for both the team and the driver.

“I don’t think it changes a whole lot for me,” he told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media at Monza when asked about Verstappen’s Red Bull extension.

“I mean, I think it’s probably better for us as drivers that there’s a bit more stability around in general.

“Max has had a contract this whole time, and his contract’s been spoken about almost every year for the last two or three years.

“I’m sure there’s clauses in both directions at various points through these contracts. I would be amazed if there’s any massive contracts that have no wiggle room from the team side or the driver side.

“But I think it signifies a commitment to one another, which is a good thing if that’s how things are going and just signifies the intent of wanting to work together, wanting it to work, rather than a one, two-year deal.

“Even a two-year deal is not that short, but a one-year deal, obviously, it’s nice to have a bit more certainty in how things are gonna go. And if things continue going the way you hope between yourself and the team, then it’s nice to have that framework already laid out.”

More on F1’s latest contract announcements

What new Max Verstappen and Lando Norris contracts tell us about modern F1

Lando Norris McLaren salary: Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen admission made

As for his own situation with McLaren, the Australian says he was never worried as his current deal is “for a while”, so there is no need for expedited talks.

“I’m good for now. I mean, mine’s still for a while, so there’s no rush to get into those talks at all,” he said.

He is happy to continue at McLaren with Norris as his teammate for the foreseeable future.

“I think it’s good,” he said of his teammate’s extension. “It’s not a surprise at all. I mean, he just won the championship with the team, and the team just won the constructors’ championship twice. So yeah, it wasn’t a big surprise at all.

“I think it’s good for everybody. I feel like we’ve got a lot of the right pieces of the puzzle here at the team, and, you know, this year’s obviously been a bit more difficult than the last couple.

“But hopefully, we’re finding our feet again, being able to win races and fight for wins at least.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read Next: Liam Lawson facing nervous F1 2027 wait as Racing Bulls responds to Verstappen decision