Oscar Piastri, McLaren driver, believes that Red Bull has reached an exceptional level of competition in the 2026 Formula 1 season, alongside Mercedes. This statement comes at a time when McLaren has lost ground to its strongest rivals.
After introducing significant improvements to the RB22 during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Red Bull has shown impressive performance. The updates included changes to the sidepods, the floor, the mirrors, the halo, and the diffuser, leading to the best performance of the season, with Max Verstappen close to winning after starting eighth in Baku and a commanding victory in Malaysia.
On the other hand, McLaren made similar updates to the MCL40, but the results have not lived up to expectations. Piastri, who could have achieved a podium in Baku had he not made a mistake, expressed that both he and his teammate Lando Norris have struggled to keep pace with the front-running teams.
Piastri commented that Mercedes has been very strong throughout the season, and it was surprising that they weren’t faster in Malaysia, given the number of straights. Regarding Red Bull’s rise, he stated that the improvements have been significant and that they now compete on equal terms with Mercedes.
Despite the improvements, McLaren has faced fuel injection problems in the last two races, and the team hopes to resolve them for the Singapore Grand Prix. Norris, who expressed concern about his car’s performance, pointed out that they need to adjust technical aspects to regain the competitiveness showed in previous races, such as Budapest and Zandvoort.
Moreover, Piastri has warned about the challenges of the Singapore circuit, describing the MCL40 as a car that is difficult to set up quickly. With this outlook, the competitiveness of his team is in doubt for the upcoming race.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
