A former Ferrari race engineer has warned Oscar Piastri against a potential switch to Red Bull.
The Melbournian has been linked to the move – but only if Max Verstappen elects to walk away – amid reported tensions between his camp and the McLaren team.
At McLaren, Piastri is an unofficial second driver behind reigning world champion teammate Lando Norris, whereas he would more than likely move to Red Bull to lead the team.
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But former race engineer Rob Smedley has urged Piastri to stay put with the papaya squad, because they will be the team best placed to fight for championships for years to come.
Oscar Piastri has been warned against making a switch to Red Bull. Getty
He said it was a “hard” position for any driver to find themselves in, but McLaren’s recent history of maximising upgrades should mean the Woking team is still Piastri’s best bet.
“McLaren is catching up, Mercedes is in front at this point, but over the last two years they’ve probably been the best team,” Smedley said on the High Performance Racing podcast.
“This year they’ll be there or thereabouts. They know how to win world championships now, they could now win multiple constructors’ world championships on the bounce.
“So that’s telling you that this is a team that is entering its pomp if it doesn’t mess up.
Piastri has been linked to a move to Red Bull amid tensions with teammate Lando Norris. Getty
“Then, if you’re a driver in that team and you’re struggling against your teammate – and I’m going back now to my Ferrari days – what’s the option for you?”
Smedley was Felipe Massa’s race engineer first at Ferrari and then Williams between 2006-2017. Like Eddie Irvine and Rubens Barrichello were to Michael Schumacher before him, Massa was a clear No.2 driver behind Fernando Alonso.
At the 2010 German Grand Prix, Smedley – undoubtedly under instruction by Ferrari higher-ups – instructed Massa to let Alonso past with the now-famous radio message: “Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?”.
Massa was leading the race at the time, but duly let his teammate past. Alonso would go on to win the race in a Ferrari 1-2, but the team was later fined USD$100,000 for bringing the sport into disrepute.
Norris led Piastri home in a McLaren 1-2 in the Miami sprint race. Getty
In 2010, Ferrari hard arguably the fastest car and any move away from the red team would have been a step backwards for Massa.
More recently, Daniel Ricciardo opted to leave Red Bull at the end of 2018 in a bid to establish himself as No.1 at Renault. The less said, the better.
While Piastri would never be instructed to let Norris past if the two were in a straight fight for the win, Smedley said the Aussie is now in a similar position.
“Do you leave and go to a worse team that actually has no chance of winning the world championship, but you might be the better driver in the team? The No.1?” he said.
“I’ve seen that on many an occasion – I’ve seen drivers do that and I’ve never seen it work out well.
“I’ve never seen it where the driver has been happier.”
Piastri signed a contract extension that would keep him at McLaren “for the long term” on the eve of the 2025 season, and McLaren chief executive Zak Brown has made it clear he’ll be holding onto both drivers.
“I couldn’t be happier with our driver line-up,” Brown told Sky Sports F1 in Miami.
“Lando and Oscar are not only two great guys on and off the track, but also shine as teammates.”
The F1 season continues with the Canadian Grand Prix – another sprint weekend – on May 23-25 (AEST).
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