McLaren thought they had found their golden boy when they snatched Oscar Piastri from Alpine in a dramatic contract battle, but now insiders are questioning if dumping Daniel Ricciardo was the worst call in F1 history.
Piastri joined the papaya team in 2023 after that high-profile tug-of-war, replacing Ricciardo who was let go with a year left on his contract. At first, it looked like a masterstroke by team boss Zak Brown. By the summer of 2025, Piastri was leading the world championship and being hailed as a future superstar.
But the fairy tale has taken a sharp turn. Piastri lost the title to teammate Lando Norris amid controversy over McLaren’s so-called papaya rules. Now in 2026, he sits seventh in the standings, a staggering 55 points behind Norris.
Rumors even swirled over the summer that he could be swapped to Red Bull if Max Verstappen moved to Woking.
Former F1 team boss Peter Windsor is now loudly telling fans he was right all along. Speaking to Cameron Cc, Windsor claimed McLaren would have been much better off keeping Ricciardo. He argued Piastri should have stayed at Alpine, blown Esteban Ocon away, and remained the hottest property in F1.
Windsor said Piastri was the next big star when McLaren and Alpine were publicly fighting over him, but now he feels held back. He praised McLaren’s recent surge with Norris winning back-to-back races in Hungary and the Netherlands, but called their handling of Piastri a black mark on the team’s ability.
So, is Oscar Piastri’s career already hitting a ceiling at McLaren, or can he turn it around before the whispers get louder?
