Oscar Piastri sealed a decisive victory for McLaren after edging Lando Norris in the sprint race on Saturday. With his victory, the rookie driver appears to have generated a massive buzz about who will be the primary leader at McLaren. This exact idea was raised by F1 presenter Alex Brundle in a recent episode of the Chequered Flag podcast. There, the topic of Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost was brought up, 33 years after their legendary rivalry.
With points up for grabs at the sprint race in Qatar, all teams were looking to make the most of it. McLaren, however, rose up to the occasion. The victory was particularly significant for Piastri on a track where drivers lose lap times for exceeding track restrictions. After dazzling everyone with his amazing pace and clever moves, the rookie has cast some questions on Lando Norris being inferior to his younger partner.
However, there is no reason to believe that Norris is less competent than the newcomer. Norris has demonstrated his potential by competing against some of the most seasoned drivers. However, Alex Brundle asserts that his theory is that when the Woking-based team presents a car worthy of winning, there may be a series of friction in the team. Having two youngsters hungry for wins might create a situation similar to that which existed when both Senna and Prost drove for the team together.
Following Oscar Piastri’s remarkable win Alex Brundle delivers McLaren’s prophecy
The sport has experienced various rivalries over the years. However, the one that Alex Brundle cited while talking about Oscar Piastri and Norris goes way back. The Senna vs Prost rivalry, despite being at its peak more than 30 years ago, is still talked about.
According to Alex Brundle, the two young drivers of Mclaren may give the papaya team a vibe reminiscent of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. Given that Oscar Piastri in his rookie season pushed Norris to the limit and led the Woking-based team to victory, there could be some tensions developing.
Comparing the eras of the 1980s with the present, on the podcast, the 33-year-old said, ” Actually Lando and Oscar, I suspect they’ve clocked it being the competitive young men that they have more of an arm wrestle on than you think over who’s gonna leave that team. It’s got a bit of Senna Prost vibe around it that who’s going to lead that team into championship contention next year.”
For the entirety of the season so far, Norris has been very frustrated with Oscar Piastri. The rookie has not outperformed Norris in any way, but has always been close. As a result, Piastri has pushed Norris more than Daniel Ricciardo was able to in the last two years.
Lando Norris experiences the “Most Frustrating” time in years of F1 journey
After a slow start to the season with an underwhelming car, Norris and McLaren started bagging podiums in the latter half. He is desperately looking to get his first ever race win, and wanted to start that in Qatar.
For Norris, the Qatar GP weekend, which could have begun on a high note, ended in frustration. The 23-year-old was a strong contender for the pole on Friday. But his mistakes prompted his best lap to be invalidated because he went above track restrictions. In the sprint shootout, Norris was again poised to win the pole position but ran wide instead.
According to Crash.net, following the race, a dejected Norris reportedly said, “ Nothing just lack of talent. I guess everyone has those weekends. This is the weekend for me. It’s just a shame I’m doing it when the cars is as quick as it is. So that’s what makes it more frustrating.
In over five years of his stint with McLaren Norris believes he hasn’t been so frustrated as he adds, “ I don’t think I’ve ever been so frustrated with myself”. After the McLaren lads’ two podium finishes, the team’s sole focus will now be to finish ahead of Aston Martin.
