'That is incredibly naive' - Piastri dismisses crucial Red Bull question

Oscar Piastri believes it would be "incredibly naive" of McLaren to expect it can enter a period of Red Bull-esque dominance in F1 after its constructors' championship success last season.

With the Australian and Lando Norris behind the wheel, the Woking squad topped the standings for the first time since 1998, preventing Red Bull from securing a third-consecutive title in the process.

Now, McLaren heads into the season opener at Piastri's home grand prix in Melbourne squarely the favourites for the crown, with the 23-year-old's team-mate also the bookmakers' pick to win the drivers' championship.

However, Piastri maintains it would be foolish for the team to get ahead of itself and draft grand designs of emulating the type of form Red Bull enjoyed since the contemporary ground effects era was introduced in 2022.

The following season, the Milton Keynes-based team won 21 of 22 rounds as Max Verstappen eased to 19 of those - and the title.

When asked if McLaren can replicate a similar cycle of crushing dominance, Piastri immediately shut down the virtue of any such notion.

"No, I don't think so," Piastri told media including RacingNews365. "Obviously, that would be ideal - to try and have that level of success and competitiveness.

"I think that’s what every team dreams of and what every driver dreams of. But at this point in the regulations, with how last season went, expecting that is incredibly naive."

Piastri: Red Bull dominance 'very tough' to replicate

F1 ushers in a brand new era of regulations for 2026, with both the power unit and the chassis rules being overhauled in a significant rewrite.

As if often the case when the championship draws to the close of a regulatory cycle, the field has converged, making it near-impossible to comfortably have the measure over rival teams.

Following on from last season, when each of the top four teams won at least four grand prix, the 2025 campaign is widely expected to be one of the closest and fiercely-fought championships in recent memory.

"I think this season is going to be just as tight, if not even tighter, than the second half of last year especially," Piastri contended.

"So yeah, of course, that’s what we want to aim for, but we have a new set of rules coming next year, and that's probably going to change the pecking order quite a bit - or at least the gaps quite a bit.

"So I don't think it's the same circumstances. But also, I think this year is going to be an incredibly competitive year of F1. As much as I would like to try and have that level of success, I think it's going to be very, very tough."