As the countdown to 2026 gathers pace, Oscar Piastri has reshuffled his inner circle – but insists there was no dramatic fallout behind the scenes.
The 24-year-old Australian confirmed ahead of the new Formula 1 season that his management structure will look different this year, though one key figure remains firmly in place: Mark Webber.
Piastri was quick to dampen speculation that a pivotal moment last season had forced the change.
"There wasn't anything specific, we just made a decision for things to look a bit different," the Aussie told reporters in Bahrain this week.
Webber will continue as the McLaren driver’s manager but will reduce his presence at the track, shifting focus toward commercial matters. Piastri underlined that the relationship remains strong.
"Mark is still very much involved and I've been in contact with him a lot over the last few weeks,” he said. “He just won't be trackside as much anymore. So that's really the extent of it. But yeah, there was nothing specific that triggered it."
Stepping into a more visible trackside role will be Pedro Matos – Piastri’s former Formula 2 race engineer at Prema in 2021 – alongside Australian mental performance coach Emma Murray, who will increase her involvement during race weekends.
Adapting to a New Era
The management tweak comes as drivers grapple with the demands of a new technical cycle. Pre-season running, in Barcelon and Bahrain, has required adjustments behind the wheel.
"I think it's definitely been a learning curve," Piastri said of the key period.
"There are still some things we need to do as drivers that are certainly very different to what we had to do last year. But I think the kind of optimisation around driving that way, especially as drivers, I think we're getting our heads around the new things we need to do.
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"And as teams, making accommodations for having to drive a certain way now. So I think it has improved. It still is very different to what we had before.
"I think naturally, we've all probably found performance and just with performance, it's made some creature comforts a little bit nicer as well. So I think we are making progress. Let's see what Melbourne's like."
With the paddock now turning its attention to his home race in Melbourne, Piastri’s revamped support team – and evolving car – will face their first true examination in front of a partisan Australian crowd.
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