McLaren’s improvement in pace seems to have brought about a whole new set of problems for the team. With McLaren now constantly in the fight for podium places, the intra-team rivalry between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri seems to be becoming more and more tense. The latest case in point came up during the Austrian GP sprint race when the two battled out for second place.
While things at McLaren seem to be under control now, there is fear that the tensions between the two drivers can get out of hand. Despite the same, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has revealed that there is no need to change things.
When asked to share his thoughts about the Austrian GP sprint race, Stella told Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz, “Overall, a positive Sprint. A lot of points and we were not far from Max. Oscar deserved to be in P2 because he gained it on track and there was no necessity to change things. We are happy with this. Well done to both of our drivers”.
Norris takes the lead ➡️ Verstappen reclaims it ➡️ Piastri swoops past Norris
Riveting racing from the front three #F1Sprint #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/WjORyXuvx5
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 29, 2024
Stella is referring to the on-track battle between his two drivers and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. It all began when Norris attempted to take the lead in the race from the Dutchman.
Even though the Briton successfully passed Verstappen, he could not keep hold of the lead. However, instead of just giving the lead back to Verstappen, he also lost an additional place to Piastri. The two McLaren drivers then fought to the chequered flag, with Piastri finishing on top.
Although a total of 13 points were on offer for McLaren, the team still did not impose any team orders. Instead, they had no problems in letting Norris and Piastri fight it out and let the best driver come out on top.
Oscar Piastri’s rise is a threat to Lando Norris
Since Lando Norris is the more experienced of the two, many would assume that he is McLaren’s number one driver. However, with McLaren’s reluctance to impose team orders, that may no longer be true.
Oscar Piastri has shown right from the start of his rookie season last year that he is capable of pushing Norris to the limit. The Australian’s best performance arguably came during the Qatar GP sprint race last year when he beat both Verstappen and Norris to the win.
And in the process, he also registered a victory, albeit in any format, before Norris despite racing in only his first year in F1. Since Piastri has established himself as such a threat to Norris, the Briton once admitted in an interview that they are undoubtedly fierce rivals on the track and want to beat each other desperately.
Norris vs Piastri – Season Comparison⚔️
Norris has beaten (or matched) Piastri in every aspect. Still, Piastri’s rookie season (alongside such a strong driver) has been excellent, considering he got the updates at later races!
What’s your opinion?#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/Ke35mKid9W
— Formula Data Analysis (@FDataAnalysis) October 2, 2023
However, since they also happen to be teammates, Norris understands that they need to have a balance between their own personal ambitions and the team’s goals. When it comes to achieving the team’s goals, it does seem that Norris and Piastri have done a remarkable job in that aspect.
Although McLaren are still third in the Constructors’ Championship with 250 points, they are gradually closing the gap to both Ferrari and Red Bull, who had a much better start to the 2024 campaign than the Woking-based outfit.
McLaren are currently 26 points behind second-placed Ferrari and 89 points behind leaders Red Bull. With 14 races still remaining in this year’s record 24-race calendar, McLaren are still very much in the fight for the Constructors’ title.
