Piastri shuts down Verstappen McLaren seat rumors before Spa

Oscar Piastri moved to shut down speculation over Max Verstappen taking his McLaren seat, saying ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix that he would be a McLaren driver next season and in 2027. Piastri said he was very comfortable at the team, trusted McLaren’s leadership and was not bothered by the rumors, after receiving reassurance from team principal Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown. His manager, Mark Webber, also dismissed the talk, saying there had been “a lot of fiction written” about Verstappen joining McLaren, and Brown said he was happy with McLaren’s current driver lineup.

The rumors persisted as reports said Verstappen was in advanced talks with McLaren, even though he remains under contract to Red Bull through 2028. Piastri said Verstappen appeared to be exploring options because Red Bull was not in a strong position, comparing the situation to last summer’s speculation about a possible move to Mercedes that did not happen. Verstappen has been linked to an exit clause if he is lower than second in the championship at the summer break, and he is currently seventh, 78 points behind George Russell in second, with 50 points still available before the August shutdown. Verstappen declined to discuss his future in detail at Spa.

Piastri also turned to the track, saying McLaren was likely to be the third- or fourth-quickest car at Spa and that he hoped upcoming upgrades would help the team close the gap to the front-runners. He is trying to recover from a scoreless finish at Silverstone after an opening-lap collision and an unscheduled pit stop. Piastri said his win at last year’s Belgian Grand Prix venue gives him a chance to make up points if other drivers run into trouble.