Piastri warns Red Bull is now F1's most consistently quick car after back-to-back Verstappen wins

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has acknowledged that Red Bull has emerged as Formula 1’s most consistently competitive team, warning that Max Verstappen’s back-to-back victories in Malaysia and Singapore have shifted the balance of power ahead of the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.

Red Bull arrive in Austin just seven points behind McLaren in the constructors’ championship, a deficit that looked far more comfortable for the Woking outfit before Verstappen’s recent surge. Piastri, speaking at the pre-race press conference, pointed to the upgrades Red Bull introduced in Baku as the turning point.

“I think Red Bull definitely took a pretty big step forwards over the last triple-header,” Piastri said. “Whatever upgrades they put on the car in Baku were very strong. They had a double podium there and won the next two races with Max.”

The Australian admitted the development had caught him off guard, having expected Ferrari to set the pace at more circuits during this phase of the season. “I think clearly the Red Bull was very strong, both stronger than us, for sure,” he said. “So over the last few weeks, Red Bull’s definitely become, I would say, the most consistently quick car. But I think each weekend, the challenges are kind of rotating.”

Piastri also reflected on McLaren’s fading momentum after a promising mid-season run. “In the middle of the season we felt like we’d gained some momentum, and potentially we were back to being able to fight for wins and regular podiums,” he said. “But that’s often the way in Formula 1. You think you’re there again, and you’ve got a few teams around you to pull you down a few pegs.”

The assessment comes as McLaren grapple with a car that reigning champion Lando Norris has described as “mentally exhausting” — a stark contrast to the machine that delivered the team the constructors’ title last year.

Not everyone in the Red Bull camp shares Piastri’s view. Isack Hadjar, also present at the Austin press conference, pushed back on the characterisation. “I don’t think we have the fastest car,” the Red Bull junior said, suggesting Ferrari had shown greater pace in Singapore.

With Verstappen chasing a third consecutive victory this weekend and McLaren under mounting pressure to protect their lead, the United States Grand Prix shapes up as a critical moment in both championship battles.