F1 champion Max Verstappen claims Oscar Piastri 'sold his soul' to McLaren

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Max Verstappen claims Oscar Piastri 'sold his soul' to McLaren

Oscar Piastri was involved in a title battle in 2025 with team-mate Lando Norris

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 13 January 2026 12:53

Four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen has hit out at McLaren's handling of Oscar Piastri during the 2025 season.

Verstappen lost out on the 2025 title by just two points to Piastri's team-mate Lando Norris, but it was Aussie driver Piastri who had led the championship between April-October.

McLaren evidently had the dominant car in the season, and that led Norris and Piastri to be immediately thrown into a title battle, with McLaren trying their best to keep a level playing field between the pair.

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But many pundits argued that went too far at the Italian Grand Prix, when a botched pit stop for Norris had dropped him behind Piastri, and the team asked Piastri to give the position back to maintain fairness.

Piastri's decision to yield the place caused a six-point swing in the championship, with Piastri leaving Monza 31 points ahead when the gap could have been as much as 37 if he'd been a little more selfish.

Now, Verstappen has said that, once you do that, you open the door for future scenarios where the team could expect you to be just as accommodating.

"Definitely not," Verstappen told Blick when asked if he would have moved over for his team-mate in that scenario.

"If you do that once without a clear reason, you sell your soul. The team can then do whatever it wants with you.

"And let’s not forget: Piastri was in the middle of the title fight."

Will McLaren change tack in 2026?

There are question marks over whether or not McLaren will be able to challenge for championships once more in 2026 or not, with new regulations potentially set to throw a spanner in the works for the team.

The wholesale regulation changes could see a shake up of the competitive order in F1, which would likely not spell good news for the team already top of the pile.

But regardless of whether their two drivers are fighting for championships or podium finishes, CEO Zak Brown has stated that they will not change their controversial 'papaya rules' tactics, which attempts to ensure that neither driver is given favour over the other.

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F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen McLaren Oscar Piastri