Former Haas F1 Team Principal Guenther Steiner has suggested that Mark Webber’s management role became a point of contention in Oscar Piastri’s career during the second half of 2025. Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner noted that the split between the Australian driver and his long-time manager was not a shock, citing Webber’s reduced physical presence at races this year. “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,” Steiner stated, highlighting that Webber had explicitly stated at the start of the season he would no longer be beside Piastri as he was in previous years.
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The announcement of their mutual separation came after the São Paulo Grand Prix, ending a management partnership that began in 2019 and guided Piastri from Formula 3 through Formula 2 to his current McLaren seat. Steiner pointed to the latter part of the 2025 season as the critical turning point, specifically when Piastri’s World Championship challenge against his McLaren teammate Lando Norris began to fade. The former team principal implies that the pressure of a failing title bid may have exacerbated existing tensions, leading Piastri to decide he wanted to “do this on my own.”
This development marks a significant shift in Piastri’s professional trajectory, as he enters the final stretch of his rookie season without the guidance of the former four-time Grand Prix winner. While Webber had already scaled back his involvement by stopping race attendance, the formal termination of the agreement signals a definitive break. For McLaren, the focus now remains on supporting Piastri’s independent path as he navigates the remainder of the 2025 campaign, with the team likely to step in to fill any operational gaps left by the management split.
Source: Yahoo Sports
