Oscar Piastri issues brutal response to Helmut Marko's claims about a possible move to Red Bull
Oscar Piastri has issued a brutal response to Red Bull's Helmut Marko's claims that the Australian is having conversations with the Austrian team for the future. Piastri has quashed any such suggestions and claimed that he's happy at McLaren.
Oscar Piastri joined the sport last season with McLaren after a move away from Alpine. The season saw the Australian impress instantaneously and has since then leveled up whenever he's got the chance. This has been evident in 2024 as well, as Piastri has gone on to win two races this season.
His current contract runs until the end of the 2026 F1 season, hence, making a move away from McLaren and switching teams is highly unlikely. However, the contracts have exit clauses in place, and Helmut Marko claimed that Red Bull had been talking to the Australian's manager recently.
The quote was put forward to the Australian. The McLaren driver quashed it by claiming that he was happy where he was right now and was not looking at a move away from the team. Piastri also took a shot at Marko and his propensity to make headlines with his comments. He told the media, including Sportskeeda,
“Definitely not. “I’m very happy where I am. I’m under contract for the next two years after this, and I’m certainly not looking to go elsewhere. So, it wouldn’t be a week in F1 without some comments from Helmut!”
Oscar Piastri takes the Red Bull link as a compliment
Oscar Piastri did, however, feel that this was nothing more than a compliment for him, as it shows he has been performing well on the grid. The Australian was very close to being associated with Red Bull as a young driver when he drove for Arden. For one reason or the other, the partnership never happened. Even Christian Horner has talked about how impressed he was with what Piastri was doing on the grid.
When questioned by the media if he was a bit surprised by seeing his name linked to Red Bull, Piastri looked at the positive side of it and took it as a compliment. He said,
"Not massively. I mean, it’s a nice compliment, I would say. But, again, I’m very happy with where I am. They have quite a big pool of drivers that they can they can choose from if they want.”
Coming into the F1 Mexican GP, Oscar Piastri would be hoping to put together a better run. The driver finished P5 in the race in Austin and was a step behind his teammate throughout the weekend.
This weekend, Oscar is expected to have the upgraded package on his car as well and that should help him.