Oscar Piastri is set to add a familiar face to his team for the 2026 F1 season, bringing in his former Formula 2 race engineer as he looks to bounce back from last year’s late title collapse.
Piastri, who had led McLaren teammate Lando Norris by 34 points with nine races remaining, ended up finishing 13 points behind. While he struggled on low-grip circuits, some also questioned whether he felt the pressure down the stretch.
As reported by Motorsport Italy, Piastri will reconnect with Pedro Matos, who was by his side from 2017 to 2021. Matos is expected to serve as a steadying presence during key points of the upcoming campaign.
This change could also affect how involved Mark Webber and Ann Neal are in day-to-day decisions.
Mark Webber steps back as Oscar Piastri shifts focus
Webber and Neal will now be focusing on the commercial side of things for Piastri, with the driver looking to take a new approach.
After a year marked by outside talk of favouritism within McLaren, Piastri is looking to prioritise harmony.
Pivotal change suggests that Piastri is after something different from his advisors. While Webber had a successful F1 career and even competed for titles, Matos brings more of a technical focus.
Matos may also be in a better position to spot specific areas where Piastri needs to improve. Webber will still be around if advice is needed.
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Piastri’s rise through the ranks has also brought a wave of sponsorship deals, particularly with Australian brands such as Quad Lock, Grill’d and Dubber. It looks like Webber will now be taking on a greater role in managing these agreements.
That shift should help Piastri carve out more time to focus on his racing, something that’s always a balancing act for drivers at the top level. Speaking last year, Piastri described Webber’s guidance as ‘invaluable’.
Webber himself knows what it’s like to fight a teammate for a title, having gone up against Sebastian Vettel in 2010. He praised Piastri’s maturity after the season finale in Abu Dhabi and predicted that he would ‘come back bigger and better’ in 2026.
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