Aston Martin targeting Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc for 'urgent' driver change, claims Schumacher

Sky F1 analyst Ralf Schumacher has claimed that Aston Martin is eyeing Oscar Piastri and possibly Charles Leclerc for an 'urgent' driver change in 2026 or 2027, at the latest. The former F1 driver said that this is a "clear" rumor in the paddock, with Piastri also stuck in an unfavorable situation at McLaren.

The Australian driver was leading the drivers' championship since mid-April and looked set to run away with it. However, teammate Lando Norris closed the 34-point gap after the summer break and with a dominant victory at the Mexico GP, the Briton now leads the championship by one point.

Contrastingly, Oscar Piastri struggled in Mexico, in what was a continuation of subpar results by his standards since his DNF in Baku. Moreover, McLaren's controversial team orders in Monza and Singapore also put a stain on the team's handling of its drivers, with fans claiming that Piastri was being sabotaged to favor Norris.

At such a junction, where Oscar Piastri finds himself with a certain loss of confidence, Ralf Schumacher believes a move to Aston Martin, which supposedly wants to make an 'urgent' driver change, could be beneficial.

"The rumors in the paddock are clear: Aston Martin is urgently looking for a change around 2026 or after 2026 at the latest. I get the impression that he’s (Piastri) thinking, ‘I’m not putting myself through all this anymore,’ especially with all the criticism and online backlash he’s been facing."

Schumacher also mentioned that Charles Leclerc could be in the mix for the AMR seat, adding:

"Naturally, they’re looking for two strong drivers. One candidate is Oscar Piastri—that’s been discussed quite reliably—and of course Charles Leclerc, if he wants it, that’s another option. And who knows, they might even try to find a way to exit a contract early if there’s an alternative lineup for next year. Otherwise, it just doesn’t make sense to stay."

As per reports, Leclerc's future with Ferrari hinges on the team's performance in 2026, year one of the new technical regulations. If the Scuderia doesn't ace the challenge, the Monegasque could be on his way out in 2027. Whereas Aston Martin is expected to be a strong force in the new technical era, with F1's most successful car designer, Adrian Newey, leading its project.

Fernando Alonso has a contract with the Lawrence Stroll-led team that runs through 2026, and there are rarely any questions about the contract of his teammate, Lance Stroll, who is the son of the billionaire team owner. So, the change that AMR is supposedly eyeing could be for Alonso's seat. The two-time F1 champion will be 45 when his contract runs out and is unlikely to extend his stay after that.

Former F1 boss claims Oscar Piastri's performance in Mexico "not good enough to be world champion"

Oscar Piastri at the 2025 F1 Mexico Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Former Haas F1 boss Guenther Steiner felt that Oscar Piastri's performance during the Mexico Grand Prix weekend was unworthy of warranting a world championship. While Lando Norris took pole position with a magnificent lap in Q3, Piastri qualified in P9, over six-tenths slower than his McLaren teammate.

The Australian driver started the race in P8, with Carlos Sainz ahead of him having a five-place grid penalty. While Lando Norris converted pole into a dominant win with a 30-second lead over Charles Leclerc in P2, Oscar Piastri gained only three positions, only one of which was with an on-track overtake, and finished in P5.

Guenther Steiner assessed the 24-year-old's performance on the Red Flags podcast, saying [14:10 onwards]:

"It was not good enough to be world champion. He’s struggling now, and I don’t know what exactly is happening, but one of the things I could conclude out of it is that … he doesn’t get support from the team to win the championship, you lose a little bit of your mojo, you have doubts, and you don't perform anymore."

With four races to go in the 2025 season, there is a three-way battle for the drivers' championship. Max Verstappen is 35 points behind Oscar Piastri in P3, and Red Bull's recent turnaround has made him a formidable threat to the McLaren duo.

Edited by Yash Kotak