Oscar Piastri has spoken publicly about a change in structure of his management team, once again denying there has been a fallout between himself and Mark Webber.
The Australian had his compatriot and former Red Bull Grand Prix winner in his corner at the majority of the 24 rounds last season, and has been crucial to big decisions in his career, including the much-publicised Alpine exit and subsequent McLaren signing.
But Webber took a step back prior to the start of this Formula 1 season, with Pedro Matos growing into a more front-facing role that Webber’s absence had created.
Piastri was forced to deny any issue with Webber, citing a need to “structure things a bit differently” being behind the reason to tweak his management setup.
Speaking to Fox Sports, Piastri confirmed that he is contact with Webber, saying he is “still very much involved, and I’ve still spoken to him a lot through the start of the year.
The McLaren driver added: “I’m getting more experience in my own career, and there’s also an element of I’ve just got more experience, so I can make some of these decisions, ask some of these questions myself.
“Especially the first couple of years, there were a lot of questions that hadn’t even crossed my mind that Mark was asking as if they were obvious to me and the team.
“I think now some of those questions come a lot more naturally for me. It’s just a natural evolution, really.”
Webber has been instrumental in the direction of Piastri’s career and it appears that he continues to be.
With Piastri looking unlikely to be challenging for the F1 title again this season, there could be an extra focus on how he is being managed, with Webber also acting as a pundit on TV.
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