Source:REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki
[Saba Sports News] Before the start of the 2026 season, former F1 driver Mark Webber will reduce his presence at the racetrack accompanying McLaren driver Oscar Piastri. This adjustment comes after Piastri included his former F2 championship race engineer, Pedro Matos, in his core team. For a long time, Piastri has been managed by Webber and his partner, Ann Neil. As a former Red Bull driver, Webber has not only acted as his agent but has also accompanied Piastri at most race weekends and has been active in the media as a commentator for F1 events. However, in the new season, Webber will focus more on business and contractual matters, while Matos will take on more race weekend responsibilities.
Sources indicate that Webber’s overall management role has not changed, but he will only attend a portion of the 24 races in the 2026 season, while Matos is expected to participate in most, if not all, of the races. Matos, who is from Portugal, served as Piastri’s race engineer during his time with Prema in F2 in 2021, a year in which Piastri won six races and successfully claimed the championship. Prior to that, he had won the F3 championship in 2020, becoming the third driver after Charles Leclerc and George Russell to win both the F3 and F2 championships in consecutive years. It is reported that Matos is not a direct employee of the McLaren team but is assisting as a member of Piastri’s personal team.