This season, there was no teammate combination that was as consistent as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Whether consistently good or consistently bad, the pair showed that they both have brighter futures in F1 than expected.
That being said, everyone has their critics, and everyone likes comparisons. When you’re an F1 driver, your biggest comparison is your teammate. With that comparison, it could be that there is animosity between the teammates due to media pressure to perform.
However, when talking to Oscar Piastri on how his relationship has evolved with Norris and if there was any animosity, he said his relationship is “completely open” and that he enjoys working together with Norris to bring the McLaren to title-contending heights.
Photo Credit: McLaren Racing
“The relationship is still exactly the same. Of course, we’re not winning [titles] at the moment. We’re a lot closer than we were, but we still need to find that bit more to challenge and to beat Red Bull.”
“So it’s still very important for us to work together and help the team develop the car. The team back at MTC and the engineers here are all doing their best to try and help things. But if me and Lando have got any additional info or directions on things, then anything we can do to help is going to help both of us.”
While the friendly relationship may stay intact, Piastri also mentioned that they both work together and share data to make sure that they become better racers and help the team in the process.
“In terms of data and stuff like that, it’s all completely open. There are no barriers or anything and that won’t change. We just need to make sure that our racing is respectful. But apart from that, it’s all good.”
Regardless of their friendly relationship, Piastri is aware that the comparisons were always going to surround him. However, he said that the pressure increased as the season progressed and the team got better.
“I was still always going to be compared to Lando, whether we were fighting for last and second last or first and second.”
“So, those comparisons were always still going to be there.”
“But maybe in terms of outright results, maybe there wasn’t quite the pressure to achieve big points or podiums or whatever straight away. But that comparison was still there.”
“I was still trying to learn as quickly as I could and try and help the team the best I could. It didn’t really lessen things.”
