Piastri Capitalizes on Norris' Vulnerability

Montoya: Norris Must Amp Up Aggression at McLaren

12/09/2024

Montoya urges Norris to intensify his aggression at McLaren F1, while Piastri cleverly exploits vulnerabilities to set new standards.

Juan Pablo Montoya believes Lando Norris needs to step up if he aims to secure a clear “number 1” status for the 2024 championship fight.

Despite a 62-point gap, Norris remains the closest and most realistic contender to a suddenly struggling Max Verstappen for this year’s drivers’ title.

In the sister McLaren, Oscar Piastri is 44 points behind Norris but was the most determined driver last time out in Monza.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown stated that Piastri’s overtaking maneuver on Norris was “hard but fair,” yet team officials are nonetheless considering future team orders.

“In my view, Lando needs to be a bit more aggressive within his team.”

“I would be if I were him. Because Oscar is clearly setting standards in that regard. He always attacks very aggressively.”

“Piastri also leveraged what they call the ‘papaya rules,’ knowing Norris couldn’t compete with him. He knew Lando was fighting for the championship and was vulnerable. He couldn’t afford to risk a collision.”

“I’m sure the team is discussing it and thinking about issuing a global team directive for the title. The truth is, it’s necessary if they want to win the world championship with Lando.”

“It’s important that this happens before Red Bull improves again.”

Indeed, Red Bull and Verstappen’s dominance has alarmingly waned in recent months.

“Their issues have been evident for some time. What’s interesting is what Checo (Perez) said—that Max is now facing the same difficulties with the car. Monza was a weekend full of surprises, which might give us a hint of what else is to come this year.”

Piastri Capitalizes on Norris’ Vulnerability Piastri Capitalizes on Norris’ Vulnerability

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Chinese GP
21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
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21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
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21 MAR 07:30 - 08:14
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22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
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22 MAR 07:00 - 08:00
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2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
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Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
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