Since the onset of the ground effect regulations in 2022, Max Verstappen and Red Bull have been near invincible. The Dutchman has won more than half the races since 2022, and the team was one win away from going unbeaten in 2023. Last year, McLaren emerged as the team with the best chance of taking the challenge to Verstappen at the front of the grid, and taking note of the same, a fan asked Oscar Piastri a curious question.
Piastri engaged with the fans in a session sponsored by Quad Lock, where one of them jokingly asked him if he and Lando Norris ever thought about taking Verstappen out on Turn 1 of the race so someone else could emerge as the winner. Piastri was quick to think on his feet and came up with a solid reply. He claimed there had been talks between the two of them that they would pay each other if they could take Verstappen out. However, to accomplish this, they need to get closer to Verstappen.
“We had a few races last year where we qualified 2nd and 3rd, and we joked, semi-joked, that we’d pay each other if we could take him out. So, we’ve got to get close enough to him first.”
Verstappen won a staggering 19 races last year and featured on the podium in 21 races. Meanwhile, McLaren started the 2023 season on a terrible note but improved drastically towards the latter end of it. Thus, there came a time when McLaren and Red Bull were close to locking horns with each other, perhaps even fighting for race wins. However, the pace in Verstappen’s car was still a bit too much for the Norris and Piastri to catch. Hence, it is hardly a surprise that their drivers thought about taking the Dutchman out, albeit jokingly.
Lando Norris told Piastri what to do to stop Max Verstappen
During the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix, Lando Norris came up with a way to almost guarantee himself a race win. However, he needed Oscar Piastri’s help and sacrifice to achieve the same. Verstappen stared the race in P1, with Piastri and Norris behind in P2 and P3 respectively.
Having to start the race from the 2nd row, Norris devised a plan, taking inspiration from the olden days, that would help him win. As quoted by Crash.net, Norris called for Piastri to replicate the actions of Ayrton Senna from 23 years ago.
At the 1990 Japanese GP, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna battled each other for the world championship. Prost took the lead at the beginning of the race, but Senna intentionally rammed into his car on the first lap itself. Both drivers were forced to retire from the race, but Senna being ahead in the championship, ended up winning it.
Norris hoped for a similar act by Piastri so that he could win his first F1 race but it wasn’t meant to be as Verstappen took another victory. Norris and Piastri, however, finished P2 and P3, capping up a strong display for McLaren that weekend.
