McLaren team boss Andrea Stella manages a pair of drivers without substantial experience in winning races. The closest that one of their drivers came to winning a Grand Prix was in Russia in 2021. Since Lando Norris decided against using a set of intermediates despite the wet conditions on that occasion, he ended up going off the track and losing the race to eventual winner Lewis Hamilton. However, McLaren did register a race win with rookie driver Oscar Piastri, albeit in a sprint. Subsequently, rumors suggested that Stella has been having headaches due to Piastri’s win. However, in a recent interview, the Italian team boss suggested that it could be beneficial for the team if Piastri achieves further success ahead of Norris.
During his conversation with crash.net, Stella said, “So if we have a victory from Oscar, that will be an incredible emotion, and an incredible emotion for Lando as well because it would mean we have a car that can win races”. Ever since Piastri won the sprint race in Qatar ahead of Norris last season, Stella has continuously been quizzed about how would Norris react if the Australian also won a Grand Prix before him.
While it remains to be seen which of the two drivers would register a Grand Prix win before, the only thing that seems reasonable at the moment to say is that McLaren’s positive momentum suggests that both could potentially have chances of securing a race victory in 2024.
How would Lando Norris react if Oscar Piastri managed to defeat him?
Before Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris was teammates with Daniel Ricciardo and during that period the British driver fully eclipsed the Honey Badger. However, ever since Piastri joined the team, Norris has felt uncomfortable, and this was evident once again in last year’s Qatar race.
During the race, Norris was a serious contender for the win but was forced to give it up to Piastri due to an error of his own. Nevertheless, after the sprint weekend concluded, Norris called it “frustrating.”
While elaborating on it, Norris remarked, ” I guess everyone has those weekends, this is the weekend for me. It’s just a shame I’m doing it when the car is as quick as it is, so that’s what makes it more frustrating.” Norris continued to be critical of himself, admitting that he had made too many blunders indeed.
Additionally, he voiced his frustration at being unable to capitalize on the team’s exceptional effort behind the scenes. Finally, Norris expressed deep disappointment, stating that he had only made things tough for himself and his team when the scenario should be the exact opposite.
