Oscar Piastri’s manager, Mark Webber, has added new intrigue to the Formula 1 paddock with a light-hearted yet telling remark about his driver’s future. The former driver asked the Australian to “improve his Italian,” as speculation grows about the McLaren star’s long-term plans.Piastri leads the 2025 drivers' title by 22 points over McLaren teammate Lando Norris. The Australian has been remarkably composed throughout the season, though recent weeks have tested his calm. A first-lap crash in Baku and a fourth-place finish in Singapore, after an opening-lap clash with Norris, have kept the title fight tight.The tension within McLaren, combined with rumors of potential interest from Ferrari, has made Webber’s comments all the more intriguing. Speaking about Piastri’s development and ambitions, he said (translated via original X post by Rmc Motori):"He must complete his development. And even with Ferrari as a possible destination, he must achieve his goal. In the meantime, he’d better start improving his Italian."It was the first public suggestion from anyone in Oscar Piastri’s camp hinting at a possible move away from McLaren. The 24-year-old’s future became a talking point after Blick, a Swiss publication, reported that Ferrari could be eyeing Piastri for 2027.Ferrari signed Lewis Hamilton through 2026 and has Charles Leclerc on a deal of similar length, but now faces uncertainty heading into the next regulations cycle. Reports from Italy suggest internal discussions about Leclerc's long-term future, opening a potential door for the Australian.Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri of McLaren at Marina Bay Street Circuit. Source: GettyThe rumors come on the back of McLaren’s 2025 Constructors’ Championship win in Singapore, where Piastri was absent from the team’s post-race celebrations. He expressed his frustration during the race when opening-lap contact with Norris forced him off track. McLaren insisted on the clash being a racing incident, attributing Norris’s move to a reaction after contact with Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.It was not the first time something like that has come to the fore this season for the Papayas. The same fairness debate had surfaced earlier this year at Monza, when Oscar Piastri was instructed to yield position after a pit delay for Norris, the reverse of a similar order from earlier in the season.McLaren boss Andrea Stella on Lando Norris vs Oscar Piastri: “We will form a common opinion”Oscar Piastri (L) and Lando Norris of McLaren with CEO Zak Brown at Circuit Zandvoort. Source: GettyInside McLaren, the growing tension between the two drivers has been handled cautiously by team boss Andrea Stella. Since joining the team, Stella has favored a “let them race” philosophy, but that approach has come under scrutiny after repeated close calls this season.In Australia, Oscar Piastri was told on Lap 30 not to attack Lando Norris until both cleared lapped traffic - an order that cost him the opportunity to pass once the track opened up. In Canada, the pair collided when Norris tapped Piastri’s rear wing, ending his own race while Piastri went on to win. Then came Monza, where team orders swapped their positions mid-race after pit-stop chaos, and most recently, the contact in Singapore.After the Marina Bay race, Stella was deliberate in his post-race comments, via Sky Sports:"Our review needs to be very detailed, very analytical. It needs to take into account the point of view of our two drivers and then we will form a common opinion... We need to make sure that we don’t become too quick in drawing conclusions... It’s not only the championship points but it’s also the trust of our drivers in the way we operate as a team, and this is, if anything, even more foundational than the points themselves."Oscar Piastri signed his contract extension earlier this year, which runs through 2028, placing him at the heart of McLaren’s long-term plans. But with 2026’s sweeping regulation changes on the horizon, the competitive picture could shift dramatically, and so could his future.