Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull exit a cautionary tale for Oscar Piasatri and McLaren

Australia’s latest Formula One sensation, Oscar Piastri, has been touted as a world champion in waiting by a man who knows plenty about winning at the elite level, but another former superstar warns McLaren’s success could backfire spectacularly.

Zak Brown’s McLaren team drivers have taken a foothold on top of the championship standings, with Piastri a clear leader in the race for the 2025 title.

Former F1 world champion Alan Jones told The Back Page on Fox Sports that the 23-year-old Aussie charger is making all the right moves to snap Max Verstappen’s Red Bull reign.

“He is without a doubt a future world champion,” Jones, the 1980 world champion, said.

“He’s come out of almost nowhere and he’s got all the attributes that you need to be a world champion.

“Like any Aussie, it’s been fantastic. If you can tune into any sporting event and there’s an Aussie who’s a front runner or has a chance at achieving victory, it just makes it that much more interesting for you.”

McLaren started the current season with qualifying statements about their drivers and standing within the team.

Team Principal Zak Brown said openly that his drivers are not seen as a one/two combination but as equals within the team, and that both are considered as No.1.

Many still held the belief that Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris was the pick of the two in the hunt for the world title but the young Australian has changed that thinking, seemingly, in the blink of an eye.

“The first person you’ve got to beat is your teammate,” Jones said.

“He (Piastri) can do it (win the F1 title) this year, no question. At the end of the day, his teammate is weak.

“His teammate is quite quick, there’s no doubt about that. But mentally, I think he’s quite a weak person. He’s coming out with all this nonsense that he’s got a bit of a mental thing, he’s dwelling on some of the problems he’s had rather than the positives.

“When they start talking all that nonsense, you know you’ve got them.”

Harsh words from Jones, however, his sentiment was backed up by another former F1 star who has growing concerns about the dynamics between the two around the McLaren garage.

Johnny Herbert believes McLaren bosses Zak Brown and Andrea Stella will soon have to decide who the number one driver is, and that this could force Norris toward an early exit.

“There’s always a chance that Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri leaves McLaren because of the rivalry, but would they risk a good pairing?,” Herbert told CoinCasino.

“ Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull because of Max Verstappen’s emergence and gave it a shot at Renault. There will be a time at McLaren when they choose to favour one of the drivers, it’s impossible to keep it equal.

“There will be more trust placed in the one driver outperforming the other, hopefully it’s a lesson learnt from last season.

“But, Piastri seems to be controlling his own destiny at the moment and has the edge. Could Norris take the same path as Ricciardo?

“Possibly … but why would he do that? He’s fast enough to beat Oscar for this Championship, it will be hard work for them both.”

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen remains great friends with Ricciardo after the West Australian’s two stints at Red Bull and was also full of praise for Piastri after his recent victory in Saudi Arabia.

“I think I’ve said it before, people forget a little bit – last year was his (Oscar Piastri’s) second year. Now he’s in his third year, and he’s very solid,” Verstappen said.

“He’s very calm in his approach, and I like that. It shows on track. He delivers when he has to, barely makes mistakes – and that’s what you need when you want to fight for a championship.

“At the end of the day, Oscar is using his talent, and that’s great to see.”

The F1 season continues this weekend with the Miami Grand Prix on Monday at 6am AEST.