Oscar Piastri explains Mark Webber role in reshuffled F1 support network

Oscar Piastri has explained why he has made changes to his Formula 1 support network ahead of the 2026 season.

The most notable change sees the McLaren driver’s manager Mark Webber taking a step back from his trackside role.

While Webber and Ann Neal remain Piastri’s management team, the former Red Bull driver will feature less as part of the Australian’s trackside entourage on grand prix weekends.

Instead, Petro Matos will be seen at Piastri’s side during F1 race weekends. Matos previously served as Piastri’s race engineer during his title-winning Formula 2 campaign in 2021. He also worked with Piastri when he drove in the British Formula 4 championship in 2017.

Piastri led the championship for 15 rounds in 2025 but saw his hopes of winning a world title disappear amid a run of poor performances and mistake-ridden races during the second half of the season.

He ended up finishing third in the standings behind McLaren teammate Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Speaking on the final day of F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain, Piastri shed more light on the decision he made over the winter.

“There wasn't anything specific, we just made a decision for things to look a bit different,” Piastri explained during Friday’s FIA press conference.

“Mark is still very much involved and I've been in contact with him a lot over the last few weeks. He just won't be trackside as much anymore. So that's really the extent of it. There was nothing specific that triggered it.”

Claim that McLaren pushed Webber out

Following news of the restructuring, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has claimed that McLaren pushed Piastri to make the changes.

“There’s a lot going on with Piastri anyway. With the new manager, Mark Webber was suddenly gone, and there was quite a lot of pressure there, too,” Schumacher told the Backstage Boxengasse podcast.

“After last year, from what I’ve heard, it was very important to McLaren that Piastri had a different manager this year to bring more calm. So, there’s a lot going on right now.”

Podcast host Peter Hardenacke responded: “The official line is that Mark Webber will now be working more in the background and will only be focusing on contractual matters.

“Someone else will be at the track, someone who has been with Oscar Piastri for a long time since his Formula 2 and Formula 3 days.

“So they know each other well. I still remember the final phase of last season. Mark Webber was constantly on the phone.

“The relationship between Zak Brown and Mark Webber had cooled, so to speak.”