Karun Chandhok thinks McLaren have "played a blinder" to tie down Oscar Piastri to a new long-term Formula 1 contract.
The Australian racer is enjoying a stellar debut campaign in the sport. Even at the beginning of the year, when the team did not have a competitive car, he was being praised for the work he was putting in behind the scenes to help McLaren to progress.
And he is reaping the rewards now that the Woking-based squad is firing on all cylinders. Piastri has amassed 83 points so far in 2023 and, given his recent scoring rate, is on course to smash the record single-season total for an F1 rookie.
No wonder, then, McLaren were keen to secure his long-term future. Last month, the 22-year-old penned a contract extension which will keep him with the team until the end of 2026.
It could prove to be a pivotal move. Christian Horner has made little attempt to hide the fact his Red Bull team will be on the lookout for drivers at the end of next season, if not before, as the team looks for someone who can consistently deliver and to back up Max Verstappen – something Sergio Perez has struggled to do.
But he has also admitted that two "alpha drivers" in the same team could tear the team apart which could rule Lando Norris, who has for a long time been constantly linked with Red Bull, out.
A superstar rookie with buckets of potential like Piastri could be the perfect target for Horner, then.
Which is why Sky Sports pundit Chandhok thinks McLaren's decision to tie him down is an excellent one. "I think this is a really interesting time in the driver market because we're in a little bit of a pause until we see what happens for next year," he said.
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