Oscar Piastri says he is flattered with reports that Red Bull Racing target him a Max Verstappen replacement

Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, and with Max Verstappen busy driving a Mercedes GT3 car at the Nurburgring, reports emerged that Red Bull Racing are interested in signing Piastri should their four-time Formula 1 Champion and star driver decide to leave the team, or the sport as a whole.

Red Bull have shown interest in Piastri before, with former boss Christian Horner revealing he had a chance to sign the Australian before McLaren did and missed out, a decision he regretted.

With the current 2026 F1 regulations alienating Verstappen and with uncertainty surrounding changes for 2027, changes the Dutchman saw as necessary for him to remain in the sport, Red Bull Racing are increasingly worried that they may lose their lead driver and are looking for options despite statements from Laurent Mekies claiming otherwise.

On the other hand, and following the 2025 F1 season, when McLaren won the Constructors' Championship and Lando Norris bagged the Drivers' Crown, there have been reports that Piastri and his manager, Mark Webber, were not happy with how Papaya Rules, McLaren's driver management guide, always seemed to favor Norris.

Based on that, the Piastri camp has reportedly been looking around for another drive at another team.

However, facing the media in Canada last weekend, Piastri was asked about the rumors, and he said: "There's obviously not been any discussions or anything, but it's flattering, yes.

"There's not really much more than that, really. Hopefully it proves my stock as a driver, which is a nice thing, but I'm very happy with where I am.

"I've got a lot of confidence in this team that we're going to be able to win races and hopefully championships in the future, so I'm very happy where I am," Piastri maintained.

Pushed on the matter by Sky Sports F1, the Aussie responded: "I've got a good relationship with McLaren, so why change?" (Reporting by Agnes Carlier)