Piastri sure he can beat Norris to 2025 title

Apr.1 (GMM) Oscar Piastri is confident he can charge for the 2025 title.

The wider perception is that Lando Norris – the current championship leader – is the team leader at McLaren, but it was Piastri who shone the brightest last time out in China.

Norris thinks “only Ferrari” has a driver lineup that is as equally “balanced” in terms of driver talent, even though more one-sided teams like Red Bull can actually benefit because a teammate is not taking points off Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings.

“Our system will always win out in the end,” said Norris, “even against the best driver in the field.”

Team boss Andrea Stella agrees: “Lando and Oscar feed off each other and get more out of themselves than if they were driving in isolation.”

It is believed manager Mark Webber skilfully negotiated Piastri’s contract so that he has equal number 1 status – making the imposition of the famous ‘Papaya rules’ at McLaren awkward at times.

Piastri, 23, recently extended his deal for the long term, despite Red Bull’s earlier-stated interest. In the latest Drive To Survive series, Christian Horner did not hesitate to say “Oscar” when asked which McLaren driver he would pick if he had to choose between Piastri or Norris.

“For me, other teams were never even really a consideration,” Piastri told the Times newspaper in a new interview. “McLaren, firstly from a car perspective, but also just a team environment perspective, is where I want to be. A lot of people would want to be here.

“I’m confident I can win with this team.”

But is he confident he can put his head and shoulders in front of Norris? “If I wasn’t confident in that, then maybe I wouldn’t have signed this long contract.”

The risk for McLaren, however, is a repeat of the sort of teammate hostility the team is also famous for – a la Fernando Alonso vs Lewis Hamilton, or Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost.

“I’m aware that a conflict could arise if we’re not careful,” McLaren CEO Zak Brown told Auto Motor und Sport. “A lot depends on the personalities of the drivers. We’re lucky that we have two lions in the cage, but they get along well with each other.”

He also said he is keen to learn from the Senna-Prost clash in particular, insisting that “transparency” will be the key to resolving disputes or suspicions.

“That’s why we always involve our drivers in our marketing activities, play golf together, go to dinner together in the evening,” Brown added.

Now, the no-nonsense Australian Piastri is heading to Japan as the last-start winner, but not only behind championship leader Norris but also Max Verstappen and even George Russell.

“I enjoy being in that position of expectation,” he insists. “I’m certainly not in the sport just to make up the numbers.

“I am here because I want to become a world champion. Over the last couple of seasons, I have proven to myself, more than anyone, that I’ve got what it takes. I don’t think that I’m at the peak of what I’m capable of, but I’m trying my absolute best to get there as quickly as possible.

“I know when I have my best weekends, they’re good enough to beat the very best.”

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