McLaren’s Oscar Piastri dismisses claims of an impending ‘Lando Norris era’ as mere speculation, despite the conjecture being put forth by McLaren CEO Zak Brown. The young Australian racer, who recently renewed his contract with McLaren, is unfazed by this assertion and is confident in his own abilities on the racetrack.
Piastri and Norris both etched their names in the annals of Formula 1 history last year with their respective victories. Norris clinched his inaugural win at the Miami Grand Prix, followed by Piastri’s triumph in Hungary, seven races later. Despite Norris proving more consistent overall with three more wins to his name and emerging as a title contender, Piastri was not far behind.
The Australian driver supported Norris in the latter’s quest for the title, even yielding an additional point to Norris with a Sprint victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix. However, Norris was unable to capitalize on this advantage, falling from pole position to sixth place during a rain-soaked race while rival Max Verstappen surged from 17th to first. The title race was effectively decided then, with the final declarations made at the subsequent Las Vegas race.
Despite this, McLaren held its ground and secured its first Constructors’ title since 1998, demonstrating the strength of its lineup. As one of the strongest contenders on the current Formula 1 grid, McLaren is gearing up for another shot at the World title.
The popular Netflix series ‘Drive to Survive S7’ suggests that Zak Brown, McLaren’s CEO, sees Norris as the leading contender. However, Piastri has taken this prediction with a grain of salt.
When queried about Brown’s comment, Piastri remained unfazed. He expressed confidence in his own capabilities and highlighted the fact that both he and Norris would be starting the new season on equal footing. Piastri asserted that they’d both be vying for a World Championship and that he’s aware of areas he needs to improve upon from the last season. He expressed optimism about the hard work he’s put in to enhance his performance.
The teams will start the F1 2025 championship with a clean slate, and Piastri believes the fastest driver should take the win. He and Norris have had extensive discussions about their strategy for the upcoming season, agreeing to race each other competitively and aim for victory.
As the season opens with the Australian Grand Prix, pre-season statistics suggest that McLaren may indeed have the fastest car on the grid. However, Piastri is cautious in his optimism. He does not foresee a period of McLaren’s dominance, considering that the current regulations are in their final year. He argues that expecting such dominance would be naive given how competitive last season was.
Piastri acknowledges that while every team and driver dreams of a consistent level of success and competitiveness, the reality is far more complex. The upcoming season promises to be even more competitive than the latter half of the last one. Furthermore, the introduction of new rules next year may significantly alter the current pecking order.
The young Australian racer’s potential victory in the Australian Grand Prix would be historic, as no Australian F1 driver has ever won this race before. However, Piastri remains grounded in his expectations and prepared for the stiff competition that lies ahead.