“We thought that going into last weekend”: Oscar Piastri refuses to rule out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen factor in Monaco

Despite their previous struggles on the circuit, Oscar Piastri has refused to rule out Max Verstappen and Red Bull at the Monaco GP. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, the McLaren driver noted that it’s difficult to dismiss rivals like Red Bull or Ferrari entirely.

In Monaco last year, Verstappen qualified sixth, his worst qualifying result of the 2024 season, as Red Bull’s weaknesses in low-speed corners were exposed. They were also expected to face difficulties at Imola, but the track’s blend of high- and low-speed sections allowed the Dutchman to recover time and remain competitive.

Piastri cautioned against assuming Red Bull would struggle again in Monaco, highlighting how similar expectations at Imola were quickly overturned. He added that Ferrari could also be in the mix, given their strong past performances at the principality. Despite the uncertainty at the front, the Australian said McLaren were confident of their own pace and considered themselves the team to beat this weekend.

When asked by Sportskeeda if Monaco, being a track that Red Bull and Verstappen struggled at, was encouraging to McLaren and himself, Oscar Piastri replied:

“I think we thought that going into last weekend, and it turned out pretty differently. So I don't know, it's um yeah we might see Ferrari back in the mix here. They’ve always been strong here in the past few years. But I think we're confident in the pace that we've got, I think we'll kind of look through Imola, and you know, debrief what we could have done better from a few fronts. But I think we are confident that we still are the team to beat this weekend. And yeah, confident that we can be quicker.”

Oscar Piastri currently leads the Drivers’ Championship with 146 points, holding a 13-point advantage over his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who sits second with 133 points. Max Verstappen is third, trailing Piastri by 22 points with a total of 124.

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Oscar Piastri believes the Imola track characteristics suited Red Bull better

Oscar Piastri conceded that McLaren has been unable to pinpoint why it was slower than Red Bull at Imola. He believes part of the explanation lies in the circuit characteristics, noting that some elements of the Bolognese track are similar to venues like Jeddah and Suzuka, where Red Bull has historically been very strong. Piastri acknowledged that the team was surprised by its lack of race pace but emphasised that performance between teams can still fluctuate depending on the track.

He also pointed out that one possible factor behind Red Bull’s improved pace could be the effectiveness of their recent upgrades, which now appear to be delivering results. However, he remained cautious, adding that while Monaco is a unique case, other upcoming low-speed circuits could provide a more accurate measure of Red Bull’s true competitiveness.

Asked if McLaren had figured out why Red Bull were quicker than them in Imola, Oscar Piastri replied:

“Not necessarily, no. I think Red Bull have been putting some upgrades on the car. I think they have been finding performance. I think Imola is a circuit that, in terms of layout and speed, is not that dissimilar to Suzuka and Jeddah, which were two tracks that Red Bull were also fast on. So I think maybe the race pace was a bit of a surprise for us."

"But the fact that they were quick through the weekend was not a big surprise. So we've got to keep working hard. There's going to be a lot more tracks like that, but I think that's going to be interesting to see on slower tracks. Here's obviously an exception, but some of the tracks coming up, whether they're still just [as they are],” he added.

In the Constructors’ Championship, McLaren leads comfortably with 279 points, ahead of Mercedes in second with 147 points, while Red Bull sit third. Despite Red Bull’s recent challenges, both Piastri and Norris have refused to rule out the Milton Keynes-based team or their four-time world champion heading into the Monaco weekend.