Piastri ends his management partnership with the Webbers
Oscar Piastri has ended his management agreement with Mark and Ann Webber immediately after the São Paulo Grand Prix weekend. Their partnership began in the junior categories in 2019 and continued through his move to McLaren. Both sides thanked each other, with Webber pointing to reduced attendance at races this season and a mutually agreed change.
Sports··Evening
A partnership ends after seven years
Australian McLaren driver Oscar Piastri ended his management agreement with Mark and Ann Webber immediately after the São Paulo Grand Prix weekend.[1], [2]
Both sides confirmed the separation, bringing to a close a partnership that began in 2019. Piastri thanked the couple for their advice and support, particularly during his introduction to Formula 1. The change concerns the team managing his career, following their work together from the junior categories to a McLaren race seat. Webber said the decision had been reached collectively after he and Ann reduced their presence at races during this season. The announcement followed a sixth-place finish for Piastri in Brazil, 56 seconds behind race winner and McLaren team-mate Lando Norris. Piastri stood seventh in the drivers’ championship.[1]
Junior titles preceded the McLaren debut
Mark Webber, a former Red Bull and Williams Formula 1 driver, began advising Piastri while the younger Australian was still racing junior single-seaters. Piastri subsequently won the Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships in successive seasons before making his Formula 1 debut for McLaren in 2023. Webber said he and Ann were proud of their involvement in those formative years and of helping Piastri secure a competitive seat early in his career. He described the separation as an opportunity for Piastri to continue under a new management structure while the couple turned towards new ventures.[1]
Webber helped navigate the Alpine dispute
One of the partnership’s decisive episodes came in 2022, when Alpine announced that Piastri would drive for the team the following season. Piastri rejected that announcement, and the disagreement went to the Contract Recognition Board of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the body governing international motor racing. The board ruled against Alpine. McLaren then confirmed that Piastri would replace Daniel Ricciardo from 2023, with Webber central to the move. That earlier Formula 1 contract dispute formed part of the career guidance Piastri acknowledged when thanking the Webbers at the end of their management relationship.[1]
