Is Red Bull Racing on a par with Mercedes? Here’s what rival Oscar Piastri has to say

Max Verstappen’s fans had to wait a long time before they could cheer their hero back onto the top step of the podium. It was not until the 16th race weekend of the year – the Bahrain Grand Prix, held in Malaysia – that the exceptional driver from the Red Bull Racing team managed to take first place. Prior to that, he had finished second in both Madrid and Baku.

On the street circuit in Azerbaijan, he was driving with the latest upgrade package from Milton Keynes for the first time. And that brought the team a significant boost in performance, as Verstappen himself confirmed. According to rival Oscar Piastri, Red Bull Racing was even able to close the gap on leaders Mercedes as a result.

The Australian, who had to settle for sixth place in the Malaysian Grand Prix, explained in the Singapore paddock: “Mercedes have been very strong throughout the season so far, and it was no great surprise that they were so fast on the Baku street circuit with its long straights. And when you look at how many straights the circuit in Malaysia has, it’s surprising that they weren’t faster.”

Red Bull Racing and Mercedes in the same league

“Whatever Red Bull Racing recently fitted to the car in Baku, it must have been significant. It didn’t stand out because Max didn’t qualify very high up due to his power unit problem. But he was able to put George under immense pressure towards the end of the race. And I think if he’d started further up the grid, he could have kept that up for the whole race,” Piastri added.

“In Malaysia, he was definitely the fastest driver in the fastest car, so I’m convinced that the other teams around us are making progress. There seems to be a back-and-forth between us and Ferrari, but Mercedes has always been in a class of its own, and I think Red Bull Racing has somehow joined them in recent weeks,” added the driver currently seventh in the World Championship.

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