Lando Norris was beaten to his first win by his younger teammate Oscar Piastri, who took the Sprint Victory at the Qatar Grand Prix. McLaren’s brilliant pace at the Qatar GP weekend, as proven by the double podium finish for their drivers (P2 Piastri and P3 Norris), has been followed by discussions about Norris’ lack of a Formula 1 race win. It has been 5 years since Norris’s debut and his first race win has continued to elude the 23-year-old. Norris finally commented upon the topic ahead of the US Grand Prix.

The US GP will be Norris’ 100th start in Grand Prix racing. The driver discussed how uncompetitive the orange car has been in the last few seasons and addressed comparisons against Lewis Hamilton’s term at McLaren. He said [as reported by Motorsportweek], “I’ve done five years already not being able to win a race because I’ve just not had the car to do so. Compared to other people, you know, they’re in different situations – Lewis came into McLaren when they were winning races. So if anyone asks me, ‘are you trying to do what Lewis did?’ I’d go ‘no,’ because you can’t – it’s just not the same.“

Lando confirmed that he is still working hard to achieve his primary goal – a Grand Prix win, but he is mainly focused on improving his overall racecraft. “My goals are still the same – to win races, to win championships, Once that time comes then I’ll have to re-evaluate but until that time comes that’s my only goal.” He also said, “I’m just trying to do my own stuff and maximize what I can do myself.

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Andrea Stella suggests Lando Norris to keep Oscar Piastri as the ‘benchmark’

McLaren had a remarkable weekend at the Qatar Grand Prix, with rookie Oscar Piastri securing the Sprint race victory on Saturday and claiming an impressive P2 in the Grand Prix. Meanwhile, seasoned driver Lando Norris clinched P3, resulting in a double podium for the Woking-based team. Notably, fans and pundits highlighted how the younger Piastri outperformed Norris throughout the weekend, sparking discussions about their emerging competition.

McLaren’s Team Principal, Andrea Stella, addressed this evolving dynamic. He emphasized that Norris recognizes Piastri’s exceptional talent and should welcome it. Stella explained, “Lando knows that his teammate is a unique talent. You don’t see this kind of talent in Formula 1 every year, so he is an absolute benchmark…even though he is a rookie.”

Stella also encouraged Norris to view Piastri’s pace as a high bar to surpass, highlighting that it offers valuable insights for further improvement. These comments underscore McLaren’s commitment to fostering a competitive yet collaborative atmosphere within the team.

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