David Coulthard was not surprised to hear about Mark Webber’s reduced role in Oscar Piastri’s team this season. Over the winter, it was reported that Webber and his wife Ann Neal would be focusing only on commercial matters from 2026 onwards.
Piastri has brought in Pedro Matos, his former F2 engineer, to support him during race weekends. Speaking ahead of the season, Piastri downplayed any major significance of the change.
He explained: “Mark is still very much involved and I’ve been in contact with him a lot over the last few weeks. He just won’t be trackside as much anymore. So that’s really the extent of it.”
David Coulthard Sees Webber’s Shift as a Natural Step for Piastri
Speaking on the latest episode of the Up to Speed podcast, Coulthard suggested that it was only a matter of time before Webber eased back from his more hands-on role.
Webber had played a significant part in Piastri’s early career moves, including orchestrating his exit from Alpine and securing a seat with McLaren. The Australian’s first two seasons were relatively uneventful until he stepped into title contention in 2025.
This brought new pressures, especially with external accusations that McLaren were favouring Norris over him. Though Piastri remained focused, it was clear the spotlight had intensified.
Now that Piastri is established among F1’s top drivers, Webber appears comfortable stepping back. The role of constant mentor no longer fits what the situation demands.
“Mark and his wife, Ann, went all-in to not only get Oscar on the Formula 1 grid but not with Alpine,” Coulthard said.
“They got him into McLaren, helped him through the initial phase of becoming a Grand Prix driver and then got him in the ring with him through what was a pretty public conversation as to whether McLaren’s approach was the right approach to allow us to see racing.”
“Having, to use a Mark Webber expression, been in the trenches with Oscar through what was his first crack at a world title, there’s an inevitable wanting to step back and let him get on with it.”
“At the end of the day no manager can be in the car with you. And I don’t think Mark retired from frontline racing to suddenly be going 24 Grands Prix guiding Oscar through every little bump along that journey.”
“So I think it’s just a natural evolution into this new structure that he has.”
David Coulthard thinks Oscar Piastri management change was ‘driven’ by Mark Webber
At the time, there were reports suggesting McLaren had pushed for the change in Piastri’s management because they were unhappy with Webber’s influence behind the scenes.
But Coulthard, who not only shared a garage with Webber at Red Bull but has also worked alongside him in broadcasting, sees things differently.
“He’s got a wonderful life down under as well, so taking a bit more time, investing in family and friends is probably at the forefront of that,” he said. “I’m going to guess that it was more driven by Mark.”
Coulthard also pointed out that Webber, who was often cast as Red Bull’s second driver during his own career, was well-suited to help Piastri handle similar team order issues.
“My feeling is that Mark wasn’t too close,” he said. “He was perfectly placed to know what it’s like. I think it was Budapest, I was going to write to my local MP and complain about how the drivers were being managed out on track.”
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