Oscar Piastri has been mightily impressive so far despite only being in his rookie season this year. The Australian has gone toe-to-toe with more experienced McLaren teammate Lando Norris and has also beaten the Briton several times. As Piastri continues to impress, F1 expert Mark Hughes has compared the current McLaren duo to the iconic team of Gerhard Berger and Ayrton Senna.
The expert sees Piastri edging closer towards Senna while he believes that Norris is achieving Berger’s fate. Even though Berger is a 10-time race winner, he could never match Senna. The former Austrian driver himself has admitted the struggles he had against the legendary Brazilian.
“He was absolutely the best I’ve met over the years,” explained Berger in an interview with Motorsport-Magazin (as quoted by planetf1.com). Now, since Piastri has been showing promising signs as well, an F1 expert believes that the Australian could emulate Senna.
Hughes explains how Norris is struggling against rising star Piastri
While speaking on the most recent episode of The Race F1 podcast, Mark Hughes gave his take on the current McLaren team of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Hughes began by stating that while Piastri has a lot to learn, he has shown signs that he can be one to watch out for in the future.
The F1 expert then raised certain questions about the current McLaren duo by adding, “Is Piastri the new Senna, or is Lando the new Berger?” Hughes believes that one will only know what Piastri is fully capable of once the 22-year-old is in a car that is capable of fighting for wins and the championship.
Even though Piastri has been very impressive this season, it is pertinent to note that Norris still has the edge over his teammate in the championship. The Briton is currently eighth in the championship and has scored 79 points, 43 points more than Piastri.
Hence, since Norris is ahead in the championship this year, one can never be certain about whether the Australian can beat his teammate moving forward. While that remains a mystery, there is also uncertainty if Norris, who has links with Red Bull, can match Max Verstappen if he makes a move to the Milton Keynes outfit.
Lando Norris for long has had links with Red Bull
Lando Norris has been linked with Red Bull for a while, with Christian Horner admitting that his side previously attempted to sign the 23-year-old driver. Horner stated that while his team was keen to sign Norris, the Briton remained committed to McLaren.
Ever since these links have emerged, several experts have had their say on the same. Mark Hughes is the latest to have his say on the most recent episode of The Race F1 podcast and explained how Norris will be no match for Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
The Briton would only be a leader at the Milton Keynes outfit if Verstappen were to leave the team. However, with the Dutchman having a contract until the 2028 season, he is unlikely to leave anytime soon.
