Lando Norris admits teammate Oscar Piastri has ‘exceeded expectations’ in his debut F1 season

Oscar Piastri joined McLaren to make his F1 debut in 2023. The Australian driver ditched Alpine in favor of the Woking-based team. The 22-year-old has gone on to have an incredible rookie year despite struggling in the first few rounds. Now, Lando Noris has admitted that his new teammate managed to go past expectations in his first season at the pinnacle of motorsport.

Norris congratulated his teammate for securing a long-term contract with McLaren. Oscar Piastri‘s new contract ensures his stay at the Woking-based team till at least 2026. Lando Norris reckoned that the Australian driver had done exactly what was needed from him at the Woking-based team. Moreover, the Briton claimed that Piastri had delivered more than what most had expected from him.

Lando Norris said, as reported by Racingnews365, “Congrats to him, I think any contract that allows you to be longer in Formula 1 is a great thing. He’s performed, he’s done everything he’s needed to. And probably exceeded most people’s expectations from what he’s been able to achieve already this season.” Norris even admitted that Piastri had pushed him to perform throughout their time as teammates so far.

Also Read: Bernie Ecclestone overlooks George Russell, hints Oscar Piastri is a better fit for an F1 team

Lando Norris happy to have Oscar Piastri as his teammate

The British driver mentioned that he has had fun with his new teammate this season. Both Norris and Piastri have gone wheel-to-wheel on a few occasions on track this year. Crucially, McLaren is in a rebuilding stage right now with a new wind tunnel set to be operational in 2024. As such, Oscar Piastri’s contract extension will see him working with the British team for its long-term ambitions.

Norris was hopeful that Piastri could play a major role in McLaren’s development in the coming years. The Woking-based team is trying to get back to fighting for race wins consistently in F1. As such, Norris and Piastri will have a major influence on the team’s progress. Lando Norris concluded, “For him [Oscar Piastri] to be part of that progress and to hopefully continue that into next year, ’25 and ‘26, for himself it is going to be something to look forward to.”

Oscar Piastri has continued to deliver decent results for McLaren this year. The Australian driver has shown that he can challenge Lando Norris consistently as a teammate. As such, with the Woking-based team continuing to move up the pecking order, Piastri could soon find himself fighting for the race win at the pinnacle of motorsport.

In case you missed it:

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