Oscar Piastri declares he’ll race Lando Norris hard in 2025

Oscar Piastri is set to fight with Lando Norris for the race wins from the very beginning of the 2025 season.

Oscar Piastri declares he’ll race Lando Norris hard in 2025

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (via Planetf1)

Oscar Piastri played the team game in the 2024 season to help Lando Norris in his championship bid against Max Verstappen. Piastri had to sabotage his own race in order to help his British counterpart. However, the 2025 season will be a different story as the Aussie seems set to race hard against Norris.

Oscar Piastri was bound by the ‘papaya rules’ in the 2024 season and was coerced to help Lando Norris. Piastri reckoned that the two aimed to achieve a top-two finish first and fight later. With McLaren’s pace looking stronger than ever, Piastri suggested that such a scenario was now within reach.

I think for myself, and Lando, we’ve always, from the first two years working together, we’ve always been trying to get ourselves to first and second and then kind of fight amongst ourselves, and we’re not too far away from being able to do that now.

Oscar Piastri told Sky Sports
YouTube video

Piastri emphasized that the two showcased great respect amongst each other while racing on the grid in the past two years. Now, the two were ready to ‘race hard’ against one another in the 2025 season. However, both McLaren drivers would prioritize a top-two finish first before fighting for the race win at the forefront.

I think we’ve proven time and time again that we’re incredibly respectful, have a lot of respect for each other. We’re going to race each other hard, of course, but we’re going to make sure that we both finish first and second, if that’s where we are.

Oscar Piastri added

Lando Norris doubts ‘stress-free’ campaign against Oscar Piastri in 2025

Lando Norris had multiple moments when he couldn’t overtake Oscar Piastri with ease to come out on top. Hence, the 25-year-old anticipated that the coming season would not be ‘stress free’. The reason for this was that two teammates fighting one another was always bound to be stressful. Norris made a ‘time will tell’ remark upon Piastri trying to prove his point of being a better driver.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (via IMAGO)
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (via IMAGO)

I mean, I doubt it would be stress-free, I don’t think there’s ever been a situation when two team-mates are fighting and it’s stress-free. So that’s the inevitable. Oscar wants to prove his point. I want to continue doing what I’m doing and do what I did last year. So time will tell again.

Lando Norris told Sky Sports

McLaren’s dominant form in 2024 is expected to carry over into the 2025 season, if not improve further. Woking has set a clear target of fighting for both championships against the rivals. The intra-team battle at the British constructor would be as enticing as the battle for the drivers’ title in the coming season.