It would be incredible if this season’s Formula 1 driver’s market is as frenetic as last year’s comings and goings.
The Australian Grand Prix will see 10 driver changes compared to last year with new Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar the final driver confirmed for the 2025 F1 grid.
Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari set off a chain reaction of moves that saw Carlos Sainz play a pivotal role in how Formula 1’s midfield looks this year.
He eventually chose a move to Williams, and while McLaren and Aston Martin were the only teams to retain both of their drivers, Sauber and Haas decided to sign two new racers for 2025.
Teams wanted to have their line-ups locked in for 2025 with new regulations on the horizon next season and familiarity set to play a key role in how each car is developed.
However, that doesn’t mean that teams aren’t still looking at potential opportunities to improve their pairings.
Journalist Jon Noble was speaking on The Race F1 Podcast about any potential driver movements for next season.
McLaren appear to have the most stable line-up on the grid and while Lando Norris signed a new long-term deal just before Hamilton announced his move to Ferrari last year, Oscar Piastri’s contract is a slightly more pressing issue.
McLaren ‘likely’ to extend Oscar Piastri’s Formula 1 contract this year
Noble was talking about the McLaren driver line-up beyond 2025 and said: “I think it’ll stay the same. I don’t see any reason for a change.
“Norris is under a long-term contract. I think it’s likely Piastri’s contract will be extended, it works.
“And you’ve got to think from Piastri’s point of view, if he makes a step up and if they’re fighting for wins, you don’t want to leave a winning car to go to a slower car where potentially the results aren’t going to be good anyway.
“And if you’ve got to have the belief in yourself that you can beat your teammate and you can push on.
“So I don’t see any reason for change for next year. And I think even unlikely for 2027.”
READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend
The £4.5m-a-year driver was infamously poached by McLaren from Alpine before he made his F1 debut in 2022 after winning the Formula 2 championship.
He’s already got a couple of Grand Prix victories under his belt, but his unique situation at McLaren means he’s unsurprisingly become a potential target for one of the team’s biggest rivals.
Red Bull hold a longstanding interest in McLaren star Oscar Piastri
Piastri finds himself in an interesting position on the Formula 1 grid, too young to be considered part of the generation that includes the likes of Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Norris, but more experienced than the latest bunch of rookies coming through.
It makes him a particularly intriguing prospect for other teams considering how quick he is considering his lack of relative experience.
Red Bull have held an interest in Piastri for some time, and Helmut Marko has not hidden his admiration for the Australian.
READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine
Marko would be happy to sign Piastri or Norris and that will motivate Zak Brown and Andrea Stella to tie the Australian down to a new deal as quickly as possible, with his current contract coming to an end in 2026.
However, if Piastri feels that McLaren are unable to prioritise his needs ahead of Norris if he’s in a championship battle, then leaving to join Red Bull or another team might suddenly appeal.
His current deal expires at the perfect time to see who has the best car for the next era of the sport and that might be the only reason he holds off putting pen to paper on another McLaren contract.
