Martin Brundle details the Oscar Piastri triumph that could ‘mortally wound’ Lando Norris

Oscar Piastri had a promising first season in F1, almost matching his more experienced teammate Lando Norris throughout the 2023 season.

Martin Brundle details the Oscar Piastri triumph that could ‘mortally wound’ Lando Norris

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (Via IMAGO)

Oscar Piastri has impressed a lot as the 2023 Rookie of the Year, claiming two podiums along with his teammate Lando Norris in arguably the best rookie season for a driver since Lewis Hamilton’s 2007 title bid. PIastri’s switch to McLaren from the Alpine Academy reaped several rewards for the Australian driver.

A significant highlight of Piastri’s 2023 season was his memorable win at the Qatar sprint race. With Lando Norris never having won a race despite his illustrious time in the sport, it came as a surprise to see his 22-year-old teammate see a victory first. F1 pundit and 9-time podium finisher Martin Brundle claimed Lando Norris would be ‘mortally wounded’ by the accolade that his rookie teammate achieved before him.

It’s within touching distance and he must be mortally wounded that actually it was Piastri who saw the chequered flag first.
Martin Brundle said, as reported by Crash.net

Lando Norris has had a lot of extremely close calls to a race win, most prominently the Russian and Italian Grands Prix. In Russia, the Briton had led most of the race just for a strategy mishap to befall him, costing him his chance for a victory, one he has not received since. Norris also has the record for most podiums without a win alongside Nick Heidfeld with 13.

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Lando Norris receives the prestigious Lorenzo Bandini trophy for the 2023 campaign

Lando Norris drove incredibly to help McLaren come back to claim 4th in the standings during a miraculous comeback for the team in 2023. The Briton achieved seven podiums across the 22 races of the year, six of them in second place. Norris fought for 4th place in the Drivers’ Standings until the very last race in Abu Dhabi.

Lando Norris
Lando Norris (via IMAGO)

Even though Norris failed to get that achievement, finishing 6th instead, he did manage to win something else. The Lorenzo Bandini trophy, awarded for success in motorsport not based on performance or statistics, but it is rather awarded for the approach and character of the driver. Previous winners include Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. 

Norris extended his winless career in 2023, going up the standings for both most starts without a win as well as podiums. The McLaren driver has been hailed as a future World Champion since his rookie season but has failed to show any progress in that aspect, never having a top-5 finish in the standings.

As McLaren has failed Norris in their promise of giving him a championship-winning car, he has grown more frustrated but has remained loyal to the team. With a promising vehicle coming for 2024 after a great 2023 campaign, the 23-year-old will be hopeful of finally winning a race, or even contending for the championship.

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