Oscar Piastri split takes fresh twist as F1 boss makes Mark Webber claim

The split between Oscar Piastri and manager Mark Webber was one of the biggest stories of the F1 week, and former team principal Guenther Steiner has provided an intriguing take on why it happened.

The big news broke last Monday that 25-year-old McLaren star Piastri was ending his long-time partnership with fellow Australian and former F1 star Webber.

Their announcement drew a line under a successful relationship which began back in 2019 with Webber and his wife Ann Neal playing a significant role in guiding Piastri towards F1, helping him navigate the junior categories before securing his eventual move to McLaren for the 2023 season.

Since the news broke there have been many theories put forward as to why the split happened, and former Haas boss Steiner has provided a fresh take.

He believes the relationship may have reached a turning point following Piastri's unsuccessful attempt to secure the 2025 drivers' championship. The man from Melbourne fell away in the second half of the season after heading the standings going into the summer break.

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Steiner not surprised by Piastri-Webber split

Speaking to the Red Flags podcast, the Italian said: "I’m actually not too surprised because, as you said, Mark was not around. I’ve seen Mark this year maybe once or twice - not more.

"He was not around. And obviously, he said in the beginning of the year that he would not be beside Oscar any more as he was in the good old days."

Steiner believes that announcement early in 2026 that Webber would not be as involved at the racetrack, was a seed change potentially brought about by Piastri.

"The second half of the season last year, when Oscar, after he didn’t win the world championship, I think maybe Mark got a little bit involved too much.

"And then at some stage, Oscar said: 'Okay, I’m now more experienced. I want to do this on my own'."

'I think everybody went his own way' - Steiner

Steiner clearly believes that Webber stepping back in early 2026 was the precursor to an almost inevitable split down the line.

"In the beginning, you say, 'Hey, let’s be less around,' he continued.

"But Mark is not the guy who is like, 'okay, I’m just sitting on the sidewalk seeing how we are not performing'.

"And then, obviously, Oscar maybe wants to cut the ties with Mark, but he owes him a lot. I mean some of his success is owed to Mark Webber, in my opinion.

"It's not an easy situation, but then I think everybody went his own way and at some stage they said 'You know what, if they have not fallen out already, we better split up now or we fall out'.

"So that's my opinion about it, how the whole thing happens."

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