Oscar Pisatri aims dig at Helmut Marko as McLaren star brutally slaps down Red Bull chief

Oscar Piastri has brutally slapped down Red Bull's senior advisor Helmut Marko following over a move from McLaren.

Piastri has impressed since becoming Lando Norris' team-mate at the start of the 2023 season. In total he has scored nine podiums, including , both of which have come this year.

The Australian has earned a reputation as one of the top young drivers on the grid. His form has now drawn the attention of Red Bull, who are .

Marko had claimed that Piastri's manager Mark Webber is in talks over his client moving to the Austrian side. But Piastri has firmly put that claim to bed as he insisted he is happy at McLaren.

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He said when asked if talks were ongoing: “Definitely not. I'm very happy where I am. I'm under contract for the next two years after this, and I'm certainly not looking to go elsewhere.

“It wouldn't be a week in F1 without some comments from Helmut. It's a nice compliment, I would say. But again, I'm very happy with where I am. They have quite a big pool of drivers that they can choose from if they want.”

World championship leader , who is Red Bull's lead driver, has previously made his admiration of Piastri clear. While the McLaren star has accepted Verstappen's comments, he insisted he will not be joining him any time soon.

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"Personally I think Max is a pretty straightforward guy. He says what he thinks. We all know that. So I think in my position I don’t see it as being a number one, number two," Piastri said.

“If I put in good performances and deserve them on merit then as we’ve said before… Baku is a perfect example, really, of not giving up everything this season purely for the benefit of Lando. [I’m] trying to help the team as best as I can.

"So it’s not simply number one, number two. We still have the same car, we still have the same opportunities and last weekend [in Singapore] Lando did a better job than me and won the race. I appreciate his [Verstappen] support but it’s not really how I view it.”

While Piastri has pushed back on the rumours linking him with a move, Six-time F1 race winner Ralf Schumacher believes he would be the perfect man for Red Bull.

“If I were Red Bull, I would also endeavour to get Piastri. He is not only a super talent, but also extremely hard-nosed. He will get even better in the future and the small disadvantages he still has compared to Norris will soon disappear," Schumacher said.

“Furthermore, Red Bull cannot rely on Verstappen still being in the team in 2026. They have to be prepared for that. Piastri would be the ideal replacement. I am therefore very curious to see how McLaren will approach the Piastri issue in the future.”