Oscar Piastri made his F1 debut with McLaren in 2023. Ever since then, he has pushed his teammate Lando Norris to the limit. It was the Aussie driver’s superior race craft that won him a sprint race before Norris. That has given birth to a healthy rivalry between the duo, one that Norris addressed recently.
Norris and Piastri are among the most liked F1 drivers by the fans. The witty back-and-forth and a budding friendship make them an affable pairing.
It came out during their recent interview with Wired, where they answered several F1-related questions. Among those, Piastri revealed his favorite F1 rivalry to be that of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. Coincidentally, the superstars of the yesteryear were a McLaren pair.
Reacting to Piastri’s choice, Norris jokingly replied, “We are rivals. I want to beat him and he wants to beat me. But, we have to pretend that we’re besties.”
Back on a serious note, the Briton continued, “We both have the same goals. We both want to win. The quickest way into achieving that is by working together, helping one another, just helping the team score the most points possible.”
Norris also reflected on the different roles a driver plays for himself and for the team. While driving, he has to do his best to maximize the result not just for himself but also for the team. He has to find the right balance to make sure that both purposes are served without subverting any.
Norris and Piastri have worked phenomenally well together to make McLaren a formidable force in the championship. In the process, both have bagged a victory each (albeit only a sprint race win for Piastri) and multiple podium finishes.
Oscar Piastri: the perfect teammate to get the best out of Lando Norris?
Piastri’s rookie year was what dreams are made of. The team started the season on a low but both progressed as the year passed. As things started to look better, the #81 driver regularly found himself scoring points.
At the same time, he pushed Norris enough to get him in higher positions and even land a few podiums. However, the dynamic changed when the Aussie bagged his first win during the Qatar GP Sprint.
Norris, who hadn’t won a sprint or a main race until then, was jealous of his rookie teammate. Speaking with Sky F1, the #4 driver said,
“I’m very happy for the team, I’m happy for Oscar. He’s beat me to a win so congrats to him. Of course, it’s never the nicest feeling. It hurts me. It just hurts me that I’ve messed up this morning [in qualifying]. I should be on pole and should at least be P1 or P2 yesterday for the race tomorrow.”
Thanks to McLaren’s steady progress, Norris did not have to wait much longer for his maiden win. The 24-year-old bagged a race win earlier this year in Miami. Elated with the achievement, he gave Piastri his due credit for making him a better driver by just being a worthy competitor.
