Oscar Piastri has fired back after Christian Horner suggested that the upcoming technical directive at the Spanish Grand Prix could shuffle the running order at the front of the field. The Australian racer insisted that McLaren will be 'strong all year', despite Red Bull's theories. After clamping down on flexing rear wings ahead of the races in Melbourne and Shanghai, the FIA has set its sights on tackling front wings.

At the Spanish GP in round nine of the season, new regulations will come into play that Red Bull have theorised will impact McLaren's pace. Speaking after Max Verstappen's win in Japan, Horner declared the title race open, explaining to Channel 4: "Well look, I mean, in the first three races, we’ve [finished] 0.8 of a second behind Lando – We were fourth in China and won this race.

“So we’re one point behind in the driver’s Championship. Don’t underestimate the regulation change of race nine, you know, with these front wings. That could be a game-changer. The first four [teams] are super tight, and as you well know, there’s no better tonic than a win.”

However, when asked about Red Bull's comments ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Piastri had a clear warning for Horner and Verstappen. “I’m pretty confident we’ll be strong all year," he stated on Thursday.

"I don’t think it will change too much. I’ve not spoken to the team about it massively, in all honesty, which probably tells you enough about that. So, yeah, let’s see when we get to Spain, but we’ve still got a lot of races until then, but I think we’ll be a strong team all year around.”

Heading into Sunday's race in Bahrain, the Drivers' Championship fight is wide open. Verstappen's victory in Japan closed the gap to leader Lando Norris to just one point, while Piastri is also within touching distance, 12 points back from the Red Bull driver.

All of those drivers have won a Grand Prix in the opening three rounds of the season, although McLaren will be disappointed not to have achieved a clean sweep, such is their advantage over rivals Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari.

Andrea Stella's squad are already 36 points clear of second-placed Mercedes in the Constructors' Championship standings as they look to retain the trophy that they claimed in 2024. Red Bull, however, have their attention fully focused on Verstappen's title fight following a challenging start to the campaign in their second seat.