F1 2026: Oscar Piastri makes major change as Mark Webber ‘steps back’

Webber and Piastri's individual headshots edited on top of a background of the Australian GP pit lane — Photo: © IMAGO

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Oscar Piastri makes major F1 change as Mark Webber ‘steps back’

Webber has made a major decision to scale back the role he plays within Piastri's camp

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Monday 16 February 2026 21:12

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McLaren F1 star Oscar Piastri has reportedly made a crucial change to his inner circle ahead of the 2026 championship.

Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber is believed to have scaled back his role within the Aussie star's squad, following Piastri's decision to grow his support network ahead of the upcoming campaign.

PlanetF1 have reported that Webber opted to step back from his trackside support role with Piastri, although the nine-time grand prix winner will remain as the 24-year-old's manager alongside Ann Neal.

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This comes after Piastri made the decision to bolster his personnel with Pedro Matos, his race engineer from PREMA that supported him during his championship-winning F2 season in 2021.

The above publication also reported that Matos will be working at Piastri's side again to provide extra support and motorsport expertise during race weekends, although he is not a McLaren F1 employee.

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Could Piastri head to home race without Webber?

Webber and his wife Neal are said to instead be shifting their focus on Piastri's 'commercial and contractual matters' as the papaya driver reshuffles his team, with the ex-Red Bull star only expected at a handful of race weekends in 2026.

It has also been reported that Matos is set to attend most, if not all the grand prix weekends in this year's 24-race championship.

Therefore, it has not been confirmed whether Webber will be in attendance at Piastri's side for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix next month, which also happens to be his home race.

The McLaren star narrowly missed out on his maiden F1 title win last year, losing out to team-mate Lando Norris despite leading the championship for 15 out of the 24 rounds in 2025.

Norris took an early lead in the standings after last year's Australian GP thanks to Piastri suffering from a spin that got him stuck in the grass bank at Turn 13.

Piastri managed to recover after being stranded in the grass but only managed to cross the line in P9, whilst Norris took the chequered flag to win the 57-lap race in Melbourne, meaning the Aussie racer will be looking for redemption in 2026.

When does the 2026 F1 season start?

After the first round of pre-season tests in Bahrain took place between February 11 and 13, the second round continues from February 18 until February 20.

All 11 teams will then be back in action when the 2026 season starts in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix. The first race of the year takes place on March 8 at 3pm local time (AEDT), 4am GMT, and 11pm ET.

F1 McLaren Oscar Piastri Mark Webber