Lando Norris admits Oscar Piastri has been more of a challenge to him than Daniel Ricciardo ever was

Lando Norris feels that Oscar Piastri, who scored his first F1 points in Melbourne last weekend, has 'pushed' him more than he was for "the last few years".

Lando Norris admits Oscar Piastri has been more of a challenge to him than Daniel Ricciardo ever was

Oscar Piastri (L) | Daniel Ricciardo (R)

Last year’s ‘silly season’ held many surprises, with a ‘domino effect’ being triggered by Sebastian Vettel’s retirement. But things had been going on in the background for a while. Alpine announced Oscar Piastri as Fernando Alonso’s replacement, with the latter moving to Aston Martin – which raised eyebrows at the time. But Piastri had already negotiated with McLaren and signed a contract before the British GP to replace Daniel Ricciardo, and partner Lando Norris, for 2023.

The ‘Honey Badger‘ had struggled to match up to his teammate Norris, and these struggles were even more pronounced in 2022. Piastri has come in with a world of expectations on his shoulder and is already being touted as a future world champion. The first two races were fruitless for him, despite showing much promise in Jeddah. But his moment came at his home race, in Melbourne. With his P8, he became the third Australian in a row to score their first points in their home race.

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Piastri has already beaten Norris once in qualifying, something Ricciardo particularly struggled with. Norris, too, thinks that McLaren’s new man is doing a very good job. Speaking to Channel 4, the Briton said: “He’s doing a very good job, honestly. I feel so weird talking like I’m the older guy, the more experienced one!” Further, he also thinks the Melbourne native has pushed him more than Ricciardo did.

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Read More: Lando Norris accuses FIA of using red flags “just to put on a show” in chaotic Australian GP

Lando Norris: Oscar Piastri’s handling the pressure “extremely well”

Oscar Piastri (L) | Lando Norris (R)
Oscar Piastri (L) | Lando Norris (R)

Having turned down Alpine’s offer in the manner that he did, there was, and is a lot of pressure on Oscar Piastri. The fact that the McLaren package has till now been a disappointment gave even more ‘material’ for his detractors. But at least in the last two races, he’s done exceptionally well and is well on his way to proving the doubters wrong. He’s also carried his weight better than Daniel Ricciardo did. Lando Norris concurs.

The Briton said: “But he’s doing a very good job, handling the pressure extremely well I would say, I think that is something that is very strong that I’ve seen in him. He’s calm, he’s controlled and he’s quick, so I feel like he’s got a lot of what you need. He’s pushing me more than what I’ve had the last few years, which is a good thing for us as a team as well. So, a good job, in the points today and not an easy weekend. He went up from sixteenth to eighth, so a good day for him too.”

McLaren’s package may soon improve. When it does, the fact that they have two extremely talented, and young drivers on their roster is sure to help them. Both are often touted as future world champions, so the Woking team is set in the driver department for the near future. That is, if they are able to keep Piastri and Norris satisfied.

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