McLaren’s Internal Battle: Piastri Confident in Team’s Gain

Oscar Piastri believes McLaren F1 will benefit from his rivalry with Lando Norris, seeing their competition as an asset rather than a setback.

Oscar Piastri knows that his internal battle with Lando Norris will be a disadvantage for McLaren F1 compared to what Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson will experience at Red Bull. However, the Australian believes that despite their potential fight, the high level of both himself and Norris will be an asset for the Woking team.

“It’s obviously a different dynamic,” said Piastri. “I think Liam will do a good job, and we know how strong Max is. But I believe there are advantages to having a strong teammate, in terms of learning from each other. It’s a valuable help for both of us as we try to become faster.”

“You obviously can’t measure the gain each of us gets from having a strong teammate, but I think there’s a real lap-time benefit for both of us by learning from one another. Yes, there are also disadvantages in certain situations, but in my opinion, the benefits outweigh them.”

Piastri is aware that the risk for him and Norris is taking points from each other, but he still believes the most deserving driver will be crowned at the end of the season: “Naturally, if you manage to become world champion, you will deserve it, regardless of your teammate.”

“Potentially, in terms of not taking points from each other, it’s a bit easier for Max, but you never know—Liam could surprise us all. I know how strong Liam is, I’ve raced against him for several years. But there are disadvantages and advantages in any situation within this scenario.”