Oscar Piastri raises menacing Mercedes concern: ‘That’s not a great sign…Oscar Piastri raises menacing Mercedes concern: ‘That’s not a great sign’
Oscar Piastri has admitted that Mercedes’ recent Formula 1 performance is a worrying sign for McLaren, with the Australian acknowledging the scale of the gap after George Russell’s dominant showing in Azerbaijan.
Mercedes arrived at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with strong pace, and Russell converted that advantage into pole position before going on to win the race. Piastri qualified third for McLaren, but the numbers highlighted just how significant Mercedes’ advantage had become.
Russell’s pole lap was 0.838 seconds faster than Piastri’s best effort, despite the McLaren driver finishing just 0.001 seconds behind Charles Leclerc in second. Piastri subsequently joked that he would need a “tow bar” to stay attached to Russell if he wanted to challenge Mercedes during the race.
The comments underline McLaren’s concern heading into the next round of the championship, particularly as the team continues to work on weaknesses exposed by the Baku circuit.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the team’s car suffered from fundamental limitations in Azerbaijan, particularly on the long straights. The MCL60? [Correction: McLaren’s 2026 car] lacked sufficient top speed and also struggled to generate enough pace through the corners, leaving its drivers vulnerable to attacks.
Piastri’s own race had initially been highly encouraging. He spent much of the event running near the front and appeared capable of fighting for a podium before a lock-up at Turn 1 dropped him down the order. He eventually finished outside the points after the mistake, while McLaren also endured a difficult weekend with Lando Norris being caught up in an incident involving Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly.
The situation becomes particularly interesting with Formula 1 now heading to Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix. The circuit is returning to the calendar for the first time since 2017, meaning more than half of the current grid has never raced there in an F1 car. Teams also have no recent data from the current generation of machinery at the track.
Sepang could therefore provide a very different test. Its long straights, fast corners, abrasive surface and extreme heat are expected to place considerable demands on both cars and tyres. Piastri himself has highlighted the potential tyre-degradation challenge, with the Malaysian circuit known for its particularly abrasive asphalt.
For McLaren, the Malaysian weekend will offer an important opportunity to determine whether the deficit seen in Baku was primarily circuit-specific or evidence of a broader performance gap.
Piastri has previously stressed that McLaren is continuing to develop its 2026 car and is “not standing still” despite his difficult season. The team has also acknowledged that its development path has produced both successful and unsuccessful directions as it attempts to extract more performance from the new-generation machinery.
With Mercedes continuing to set a strong benchmark, Piastri’s warning carries added significance. The Australian and McLaren will now be hoping that Sepang’s unique characteristics provide a more favourable environment—and, crucially, an opportunity to close the gap.
