The Qatar GP turned out to be quite contrasting for the McLaren teammates as Oscar Piastri ended up outshining Lando Norris by registering a sprint race win. In the main race too, Piastri outshined Norris by finishing P2, a place ahead of the Brit. Following this, Nico Rosberg gave some important advice to Norris regarding his mental health on the latest episode of the Sky Sports F1 podcast.
Norris has been part of the Papaya outfit since 2019 and has produced some consistently strong results throughout his five years on the team. However, the Bristol-born driver has still not managed to claim a race win, despite coming close on several occasions.
Do you think Oscar Piastri will push Lando Norris to be a better driver? 😁👀#F1 pic.twitter.com/aKEa81Kban
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Now, with McLaren slowly inching towards the front of the grid, it is Piastri who is constantly stealing the spotlight from the much more experienced Norris. Nevertheless, Norris has been the more consistent driver of the two in the long run. He is also ahead of Piastri in the standings.
Lando Norris receives crucial advise from Rosberg
Nico Rosberg recently appeared on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast and spoke about the dynamic between Norris and Piastri at length. The ex-Mercedes driver pointed out how Norris has always failed to deliver when challenged by a teammate.
Rosberg explained, “When he was not really challenged by a teammate, he always performed very well, but in Qatar, Lando was suddenly a bit weaker.” He then spoke about the mental health issues that Norris had admitted suffering from. Rosberg feels that it could affect Norris’ performance a lot.
He then advised Norris to talk to a psychologist regarding his issues. Rosberg said, “I wanted to send him a message. Because I used a psychologist for ten years. Of all the drivers, I was most concerned with my mental performance and health. Every other day I spent two hours with the psychologist.”
Rosberg emphasizes on the importance of training ones mental health
Rosberg admitted that the efforts that he put towards his mental health were much more important than his physical training. It is one of most important things that helped him achieve his World Championship Title in 2016.
Similarly, Norris is also a driver with a lot of potential. However, he can be restricted because of poor mental strength. Getting a grasp on those issues would help him unlock his potential and achieve what he is truly meant to.
