Lando Norris did something ‘interesting’ after what he ‘realised’ about Oscar Piastri in Spain

Lando Norris left the Spanish Grand Prix feeling slightly underwhelmed, having conceded a further seven points to main title rival and teammate Oscar Piastri.

The McLaren drivers locked out the front row at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but it was Piastri who had the better start and was able to lead early on.

Norris tried everything he could to get ahead of his faster teammate. Even in qualifying, he went off script and used Piastri for a tow on his first timed run in a move the Australian branded as “cheeky” over team radio.

Instead, it would be Piastri’s day, with him outscoring Norris while riding off the back of his impressive victory at the Monaco GP just seven days earlier.

Discussing the key difference between Norris and Piastri on the Drive to Wynn podcast, racing driver and pundit Justin Bell outlined what the Briton realised after losing in Spain.

Lando Norris realised Oscar Piastri was ‘better man’ in Spain

While being behind his teammate for most of the weekend, Bell believes Norris realised something that defined his weekend in Spain.

“Now we have this McLaren lockout at the front row, and Lando was coming off the back of his Monaco victory, which was so comprehensive. Oscar had that fabulous lap for pole in Spain. Those two are really working well,” said Bell.

“There is an interesting difference in the psychology of them. Whereas Lando comes so strong off Monaco, it was a career-defining moment for him. Oscar seemed incredibly upset after Monaco.

“But then we come to Spain and Lando in second, seemed pretty content with losing. I thought that was interesting as he realised the better man on the day won. As an athlete, there comes a moment when you have to concede.”

Lando Norris must lead title race at summer break

The Spanish GP did confirm that Norris will need to do a lot more if he wants to win the title heading into the second half of the season.

The Briton closed the gap to within three points after Monaco, but Piastri’s consistency has enabled him to not only win more races but now increase the points deficit even further.

His level of consistency will pay off in the long run and while Norris has not finished outside the top five, he will need to ensure he stays there and wins a few races before the summer break.

The battle is heavily reminiscent of Mercedes in 2016, when Lewis Hamilton lost because of a power unit problem in Malaysia, which ultimately defined his championship hopes.