A seven-year partnership ends
Oscar Piastri has cut ties with the management team run by Mark Webber and his partner Ann, and the break takes effect immediately. The announcement arrived this morning, barely a day after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Webber started working with Piastri in 2019, when the Australian was still climbing the junior single-seater ladder. Piastri went on to win the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles in back-to-back seasons before reaching Formula 1 with McLaren in 2023.
“I’d like to thank Mark and Ann for all their support and advice over the years,” Piastri said. He called their guidance invaluable in the early part of his F1 career. Webber, 50, described the end of the deal as a joint decision, pointing to the couple’s reduced trackside presence this season.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
The Alpine fight that defined the deal
The partnership will be remembered for one episode above all. In 2022, Alpine announced Piastri as its 2023 driver, and Piastri publicly rejected the claim. The dispute went to the FIA Contract Recognition Board, which ruled against Alpine. McLaren then confirmed Piastri as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement. Webber was central to that move.
Timing adds a layer. Piastri finished sixth in Brazil, 56 seconds behind his McLaren team-mate and race winner Lando Norris, in what was another disappointing weekend. He sits seventh in the drivers’ standings.
Webber had already stepped back before the season began, attending fewer races. His statement says the split lets Piastri “build on his achievements under a new management structure” while the Webbers pursue new ventures. Piastri has not named a replacement.
What comes next
Formula 1 now heads to the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 20 to 22. Piastri will arrive there with a new set of voices around him and a points table that needs repair.
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