“He’s been pushing me a little bit more,” Oscar Piastri is a more formidable teammate than Daniel Ricciardo ever was for Lando Norris

Oscar Piastri has replaced Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren, partnering with Lando Norris for 2023

“He’s been pushing me a little bit more,” Oscar Piastri is a more formidable teammate than Daniel Ricciardo ever was for Lando Norris

Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

Daniel Ricciardo became Lando Norris’ teammate in 2021, but he did not perform nor live up to expectations at the British team and lost his seat with them at the end of 2022. He was then replaced by his compatriot, Oscar Piastri, who was recruited from Alpine. Piastri partnering with the likes of Norris makes it to be the youngest partnership on the grid.

Despite failing to beat Norris in three of the four races, Piastri has performed well alongside the highly-rated British star. In Azerbaijan, Piastri finished 11th, while Norris finished 9th. Speaking to RacingNews365, Lando Norris was in full praise of his Australian counterpart. He said, “He’s a lovely guy, down to earth, normal and a hard worker – so yeah it is good fun. [He’s] different to Daniel, I feel like a bit of contrast of Australia, but good fun – he’s very fast at the same time, so probably been pushing me a little bit more than in the past couple of years.”

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Norris also conveyed that through their feedback that they both have a sense of the car’s performance and their desired improvements. Their alignment on this matter is good, despite not having the same driving style. Their comments and complaints are generally consistent, which is positive. Nonetheless, the challenge mounted by Oscar Piastri is already superior to that posed by Ricciardo.

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Oscar Piastri could be Lando Norris’ first challenge since Carlos Sainz

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris

Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris shared an iconic, heartwarming partnership at McLaren. Regarding performance, both drivers pushed each other to improve and achieve better results. They were evenly matched in pace and ability, and their on-track battles were some of the most exciting of the season. They also had a similar approach to providing feedback to the team about the car’s performance. The pair were able to work together to identify areas for improvement and provide constructive criticism, which helped the team make progress over the course of the season.

Daniel Ricciardo was recruited in 2021 after Sainz’s departure. However, the Australian never managed to find his footing with the British team. His only notable achievement was when he took the top step of the podium in Monza 2021. Throughout their partnership, Norris performed well, scoring podium finishes and finishing higher in the championship standings. However, Ricciardo struggled to adapt to the car and the team and was consistently out-qualified and beaten by Norris.

Piastri’s start to life at McLaren has not been easy, but it shows great potential. He is much closer to Norris than Ricciardo used to be and seems to push him further. McLaren CEO Zak Brown has praised Piastri’s early performances, stating that “early indications are that Oscar will be on the same pace as Lando”. This was evident during the Saudi Arabia weekend, where Piastri was seen to be at least as fast as his teammate.

He attained his first points in his home race at Albert Park, finishing 8th, following Norris in 6th. At Baku, he finished 11th, just losing out on points, while Norris crossed the line 9th. He did this while suffering from food poisoning, and this is an indication of his perseverance behind the wheel, as well as his determination. The possession of these qualities shows his passion, and once he is fully adapted to F1, he will no doubt make life difficult for Norris.

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