McLaren's Oscar Piastri believes Red Bull has joined Mercedes at the front of the Formula 1 pecking order following their upgrade package introduced at Azerbaijan. Max Verstappen's victory in Malaysia and strong pace against George Russell in Baku demonstrated the effectiveness of their recent developments.
Red Bull introduced new sidepods, floor geometry improvements and flow conditioning updates at Baku, with Verstappen and Isack Hadjar securing a double podium that weekend. The upgrade package clearly delivered significant performance gains given how Verstappen controlled the field in Malaysia a week later.
Piastri noted that Mercedes have been the class of the field throughout 2026, but Red Bull's recent progress has elevated them to the same level. He found it surprising that Mercedes weren't faster in Malaysia given the circuit's many straights, highlighting Red Bull's improved straightline performance.
The Australian driver tempered McLaren's expectations for Singapore, noting slow corners and street circuits haven't been their strongest areas this season. He described the track's smooth resurfaced sections as potentially helpful but emphasized any advantage over other teams would never be substantial.