McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has restructured his support team ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season, with Mark Webber stepping back from day-to-day involvement.
Oscar Piastri has made adjustments to his support team ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season, with Mark Webber stepping away from a more hands-on role.
The decision comes after a season in which McLaren’s calls didn’t always fall in Piastri’s favour, including the race at Monza where his camp felt a position swap worked against him. In the end, Norris came out on top in the title race.
Mark Webber is expected to focus more on the commercial side of Piastri’s career moving forward, while Pedro Matos is likely to take on a greater presence trackside.
Ralf Schumacher says Oscar Piastri’s management change was ‘very important’ for McLaren
Schumacher discussed the Australian’s situation on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast, explaining: “Yes, 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.
“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.”
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.”
Ralf Schumacher Shares His View on 2026 Race Start Changes Following Oscar Piastri’s Comments
Race starts have become a major talking point during pre-season testing, with teams and drivers paying close attention to how the new regulations are impacting launch procedures.
Many in the paddock have raised concerns about increased turbo lag this season, fearing that drivers at the back of the grid may struggle to get away cleanly when the lights go out.
Piastri noted after early testing that starts could begin to resemble Formula 2 races, where it’s easy to lose several positions if you’re slow off the line. “It could be effectively like an F2 race where you almost go into anti-stall or something. You’re not just losing five metres or so, you could be losing six or seven spots if it goes wrong,” he said.
Schumacher responded by saying: “Well, we have the best drivers in the world, and if you ask me, you only need to watch a Formula 3 start. They have a similar problem.
“They drive at full throttle, then start off with the clutch. Of course, the start won’t be as controlled as we’re used to in Formula 1 or as the drivers are used to.”
He continued: “That means it really depends more on the driver than ever, and they have to make sure they don’t have too much wheelspin or that they don’t overwork the engine.
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