Former Red Bull driver hints Oscar Piastri might have an “escape clause” to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

Karun Chandhok claimed that Oscar Piastri might have a provision in his McLaren contract to leave the team in 2025 which could allow the Australian to replace Lewis Hamilton at the Silver Arrows.

Former Red Bull driver hints Oscar Piastri might have an “escape clause” to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

Oscar Piastri [L] Lewis Hamilton [R] (images via IMAGO)

Lewis Hamilton‘s shock move to Scuderia Ferrari could cause a major reshuffle on the F1 grid. The Silver Arrows will need to find a suitable replacement for the seven-time world champion. Several drivers have been linked so far including 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli. Now, former Red Bull driver Karun Chandhok has highlighted the potential opportunity for Oscar Piastri to replace Hamilton.

The F1 driver-turned-presenter pointed out that Piastri had signed a multi-year extension with McLaren. However, Chandhok insisted that Oscar Piastri’s manager Mark Webber would have negotiated an exit clause with the team in the 22-year-old’s contract. Webber raced in F1 for a long time and was seen as one of the most consistent drivers on the grid.

We know Oscar [Piastri] has got a contract with McLaren, but Mark Webber has negotiated plenty of F1 contracts in his past and I’m sure there’s got to be an escape clause somewhere, as we’ve seen with Lewis [Hamilton] there’s an escape somewhere.
Karun Chandhok said on the Sky F1 show (H&T: PlanetF1)
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Karun Chandhok highlighted that Lewis Hamilton used such a clause to leave Mercedes at the end of this season. Subsequently, Oscar Piastri might have a similar provision in his contract. The Australian driver impressed the entire paddock in his rookie season with some great performances for McLaren against teammate Lando Norris.

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Is Oscar Piastri the right pick to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton?

Oscar Piastri is considered to be one of the most exciting rookies in recent years. The 22-year-old managed to match teammate Lando Norris during his debut season at McLaren. This came as a surprise to many as Norris had previously obliterated Daniel Ricciardo. So much so, that Ricciardo agreed to leave Woking before the end of his contract.

Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri (via IMAGO)

Mercedes needs a solid performer to fill in the massive shoes of Lewis Hamilton. Piastri might be the perfect fit to partner George Russell at Brackley. However, this line-up could lead to conflict between the team as both drivers could push each other to the limit. Similar to Hamilton’s relationship with Nico Rosberg a decade ago.

Certainly, Oscar Piastri could be on Mercedes’ radar to potentially replace Lewis Hamilton. However, it is unclear if the Australian driver has the provision to leave McLaren in 2025. Nevertheless, fans would be waiting to see how the F1 driver market unfolds in the coming months.

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