Jolyon Palmer explains the ‘massive gulf’ he spotted between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri this season

McLaren will be delighted to have won their first Constructors’ Championship this century and owe much of that success to their two drivers.

Lando Norris ran Max Verstappen close in the Drivers’ Championship, but once that title was out of reach, he and Oscar Piastri delivered a well-deserved victory over Ferrari and Red Bull.

The progress both McLaren drivers made over the course of the 2024 season was remarkable.

Aside from Piastri’s Sprint Race win in Qatar last year, neither driver had ever stood on the top step of the podium after a Grand Prix going into this campaign.

Norris tasted victory for the first time in Miami, while his Australian teammate matched that feat just a few months later in Hungary.

Six wins later, McLaren were named Constructors’ Championship victors, with Norris’ fourth win of the year in Abu Dhabi delivering the final blow to Ferrari’s hopes.

Piastri and Norris battled on track at Monza and while there were times the 23-year-old had an edge over his more experienced colleague, Norris generally came out on top.

Jolyon Palmer was speaking on the Chequered Flag Podcast and noticed one aspect of the season in particular where Norris was a serious advantage.

The ‘massive gulf’ spotted between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri during the 2024 F1 season

Reflecting on McLaren’s season, Palmer said: “Those two races, how they were decided, especially in Qatar, when there was absolutely nothing on the line.

“This brings us back to the Red Bull conversation right at the top, doesn’t it?

“Having teammates that can push each other, and I said, I’d love to see someone actually, if it’s even possible, get close to Verstappen.

“But you look at McLaren, they are good teammates and they push each other hard. Norris is clearly the stronger.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

“It was 20-4 to Norris in qualifying, which is actually a massive gulf.

“But in race pace, it was closer. And I think you need to have a little bit of bite in your teammate rivalries.

“Otherwise, you’re going to have a Verstappen-Perez season where you can win races with one dominant driver, but you’ve got no one to back him up and you won’t win the Constructors’.”

McLaren already know what Oscar Piastri has to improve next to advance his F1 career

It’s easy to forget that Piastri has only completed two seasons of racing in Formula 1.

He acts and drives like someone much more experienced and the pressure he sustained in Baku to win this year highlights his incredible temperament.

However, he does have a disadvantage to Norris in qualifying that needs to be resolved.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

The margin between each team is shrinking and if he’s a couple of tenths slower than Norris that could cost him several rows on the grid.

McLaren know the ‘next thing’ Piastri has to improve to go to an even higher level.

If he’s capable of doing that then Piastri will end up being Norris’ biggest enemy in 2025 and it’ll be up to team principal Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown to avoid their battles costing the team points.