Oscar Piastri is setting rookie standards in the 2023 season. Following a taste of leading a few laps at the Belgian Grand Prix, Piastri eventually made it to the top step of the podium at the Qatar GP sprint. Not only that, but the 22-year-old rookie was the top performer for McLaren at the Qatar GP, beating off Lando Norris to get a P2. What makes these stats unique is that the Australian achieved the feat in the same MCL60 while being in his rookie season. Piastri’s success must be squeezing Norris, who last year seemed at ease in the McL35 as he effortlessly dominated Daniel Ricciardo. Nonetheless, the Belgian-British driver will certainly come back. However, according to Alex Brundle, in order for that to happen McLaren should focus on Norris, considering things might be a little harder for him to absorb.
Though things didn’t go Piastri’s way for much of the season, circumstances did change after the Woking-based team implemented upgrades at the Austrian GP. Following that, Lando Norris found himself on podiums but also faced heat from his rookie teammate. Gradually, all the skills, tricks, and moves Piastri learned from Norris showed up on the track in his duel with Britain.
Looking at the competitiveness that often leads to intra-team battles, especially when both drivers are young, the environment in the papaya team seems serious. And why not Mclaren has firsthand experience with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton back in 2007. With that in mind, Brundle, in one of his podcasts with F1 chequered Flag, has pushed the team to be careful in order to keep this firey lineup.
Alex Brundle makes McLaren cautious before a collapse
Brundle explained in the podcast how, despite the pressure from Piastri, the Woking-based team should focus on Lando Norris. Taking a side in these situations can sometimes result in an intense team infra-team war, which the 34-year-old stresses is still under control. Further Brundle states that anything beyond this could cause a furious clash between the drivers, which could lead to Mclaren’s explosive lineup collapsing.
Close, but it’s on me. I messed it up today. Sorry pic.twitter.com/HaBCwNcUuA
— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) October 6, 2023
He said, ” Especially with the nature of battling we’ve have seen in that forward phase of the mid-pack it’s definitely that kind of thing going on. But it’s an interesting interplay between them. They’re really going to have to support Lando Norris and I think it might be actually McLaren’s biggest battle moving into next season to make sure that actually they don’t have a collapse of the guard of Lando Norris. Specifically with all of the pressure that Oscar Piastra is bringing to the lineup.”
Oscar Piastri grabbed all the spotlight by guiding the team to the season’s first win at Sprint. However, we can’t ignore the fact that as soon as Norris got upgrades installed on his McL60, the 23-year-old showed why McLaren has total faith in him.
How Lando Norris has been more effective for McLaren?
Lando Norris had four podiums prior to the Qatar Grand Prix, whereas Piastri had only one. However, the weekend in Qatar undoubtedly showed the rookie’s abilities. Given that the senior and much more experienced Lando Norris failed to finish higher in a single-lap race and only got a P10 start, the rookie was comfortably positioned in the middle of the pack at P6.
Later in Sprint qualifying, the Australian led the pack and won his first race of the season. However, Norris possessed only a P3. Though the Qatar weekend might’ve been named to Piastri overall, the current standings still show that Norris has remained more effective for McLaren.
“Oscar’s probably been pushing me a little bit more than the past couple years”
Lando Norris has been impressed by his rookie team mate #MiamiGP @McLarenF1 https://t.co/R7j1OBTjaX
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 11, 2023
Lando Norris earned his fourth podium of the season at the Japanese track with a commendable effort, starting third for the team behind Piastri. Nevertheless, on a track where even slight mistakes could have had a significant impact on lap timings, the Belgian native finished P2, one position ahead of Piastri. This was Mclaren’s second podium finish in the past two years, following Daniel Ricciardo’s spectacular victory at Monza in 2021, where also Norris finished second.
Though rivals such as Mercedes have praised Mclaren’s progress, it hasn’t been enough to dethrone Red Bull. Having said that in order to defeat Red Bull, the team must evenly match their driving pairings; only then will the final goal be accomplished.
