Piastri's McLaren future weighed up amid 'honeymoon' gap with Norris

Former F1 engineer Rob Smedley has pointed to a clear gap in how Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri view their futures at McLaren. While Norris regularly talks about wanting to spend his entire career with the team, Smedley says you rarely hear Piastri make the same pledge, noting the Australian would be willing to move if a better option came along.

Why it matters:

McLaren arrived in 2026 as the team to beat after Norris secured last year's drivers' championship and the team claimed both titles, but the season so far has fallen short of those heights. Norris has continued to get the better of Piastri, mirroring the dynamic from the second half of 2025, and the growing gap between them has put Piastri's position under the microscope. Smedley's comments suggest that beneath McLaren's stable driver lineup, there may be differing levels of commitment that could spell trouble down the road.

The Details:

• Speaking on the High Performance Racing podcast, Smedley drew a direct comparison between the two drivers. "Lando says all the time, 'I want to spend my whole career here'. He's in a honeymoon period and he loves the team," Smedley said. "But you don't hear Oscar saying that very much."
• When asked whether Piastri could look to leave McLaren, Smedley did not mince words: "Yeah, as long as it was a better team."
• McLaren currently boasts the longest unchanged pairing on the grid, with both drivers tied to long-term deals. Yet the team's inability to carry its 2025 title-winning form into 2026 has created tension, despite Norris getting the team back on the top step in Hungary with a significant car upgrade.
• Piastri's reluctance to publicly mirror Norris' long-term devotion has not gone unnoticed in the paddock, adding weight to the idea that the Australian sees his future as being tied to results rather than loyalty.

Looking Ahead:

The difference in outlook could become a major talking point if McLaren's 2026 struggles persist. Both drivers are locked in for the foreseeable future, but F1 history shows that contracts rarely hold when a driver feels their career is stagnating. If Piastri cannot close the gap to Norris or challenge for wins regularly, a move away from Woking may shift from speculation to serious consideration before those deals expire.