Red Bull wanted to snatch Piastri from McLaren ahead of new contract – report

Oscar Piastri still had two seasons remaining on his McLaren contract when the Woking team made the decision to lock him down for the future ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

Heading into his third season as a Formula 1 driver, Piastri has become a hot commodity — and McLaren wanted to sign him before rivals like Red Bull Racing could have the chance.

McLaren locked down Piastri before Red Bull could get him

McLaren wasted no time: Heading into the Australian Grand Prix, it announced that it had extended hometown driver Oscar Piastri’s contract through 2027, with the option to continue far beyond that.

When Piastri signed with the Woking-based team in 2023, his initial contract only saw him lasting for a season before the McLaren outfit saw enough and contracted him to race in papaya through 2026.

The decision to extend that contract through at least 2027 signals the team’s confidence in the 23-year-old racer.

With just 46 starts to his name Oscar Piastri has taken two wins — one in Hungary and one in Azerbaijan. He finished fourth in the championship standings in his second year with the team, and his consistency saw the McLaren outfit secure its first World Constructors’ Championship in over two and a half decades.

Piastri’s performance has caught the attention of McLaren’s rivals, and it appears that McLaren is hoping to lock Piastri down early to avoid any potential negotiations.

More on McLaren ahead of the F1 2025 season:

👉 Revealed: Why McLaren have handed Oscar Piastri another new contract

👉 Why a new ‘mini-DRS’ storm could brew at the Australian GP weekend

According to analysis by Lawrence Barretto on Formula 1’s website, sources indicated that Red Bull Racing had its eye on Piastri in 2024 and had begun to discuss the possibility of the Australian joining the Milton Keynes outfit.

To that end, when Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was asked which McLaren driver he’d prefer to sign to his own team in season seven of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, he opted for Piastri without hesitation.

Indeed, PlanetF1.com reported on rumours that Red Bull had interest in Piastri last season.

Helmut Marko, a top advisor for Red Bull Racing, told F1-Insider that “Mark Webber is intensively seeking conversation” with the team back in October of 2024, while Sky Germany commentator Sascha Roos reiterated Red Bull’s interest in Piastri in December.

However, Piastri firmly denied that talks were underway when speaking to media, including PlanetF1.com, at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

“I’m very happy where I am,” he told media.

“I’m under contract for the next two years after this, and I’m certainly not looking to go elsewhere.

“It wouldn’t be a week in F1 without some comments from Helmut!”

Details of Piastri’s McLaren contract extension are sparse, though a report from the Mail estimates that the driver will earn £20million ($25.9m/€23.7m at current exchange rates) per season, with the arrangement set to last ‘until the end of the decade.’

Further, Piastri’s contract is said to include “accumulator clauses.” That means that Piastri will receive bonuses for achieving certain milestones or successes.

With a deal that sweet, it makes sense why Oscar Piastri didn’t hesitate to renew with McLaren!

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