McLaren driver Oscar Piastri is very clear on his objectives for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
After more than two decades, McLaren will be desperate to cling onto their constructors’ championship crown.
McLaren aim to prioritise the constructors’ championship in 2025, but Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will be well aware that a driver’s title might be within touching distance.
It will all come down to how much additional performance McLaren – and their rivals – have managed to add over the winter break to their new cars.
McLaren have made some bold design choices and if they pay off, then it could end up being a straight battle between Norris and Piastri for the championship.
Last season, Piastri showed glimpses of his ultimate potential by winning races in Hungary and Azerbaijan.
However, his performance did drop off slightly towards the end of the year, with Norris ending the campaign with an 82-point lead over his teammate.
Peter Windsor, speaking on his YouTube channel, noted Piastri’s recent change in technique and how it could be detrimental to his success going forward.
Oscar Piastri told not to make ‘huge mistake’ and stop copying Lando Norris cornering technique
Windsor was asked about Piastri’s team potentially changing his driving style to more closely copy Norris’ technique and said: “It’s really interesting that they’ve said that because I hadn’t heard that.
“But I think you’ll recall that’s exactly what I’ve been saying about Oscar’s driving in the second half of the year that he seemed to have lost his feel for short corners and he seems to be sort of going the Lando way of driving.
“And I’ve said what a shame that is and what a mistake that is because what he’s got, that natural ability to get into a corner quite early and to be sensitive enough to live with the understeer and get his rotation at exactly the right moment as distinct from the geometrical apex is a god-given talent that you shouldn’t play around with.
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“I think it’s a huge mistake if McLaren are saying, oh no, you got to go Lando’s way.
“Break more in a straight line, get into the corner a little bit later, get on the power sooner, whatever they’re saying, higher minimum speed, some rubbish like that.
“I think it’s a great shame if that’s what’s happened. And I hope Oscar’s had the ability and got the brains to say, I’m going to do my own thing.”
Peter Windsor explains how Mark Webber could impact Oscar Piastri’s driving style
Piastri is currently managed by former F1 star Mark Webber who had a very successful career at Red Bull among other teams.
Discussing Piastri’s next steps, Windsor continued: “One thing I would say here is that Mark Webber is, I imagine, still very close to Oscar and he definitely was a Lando-type driver in the way he approached corners.
“And so probably he would be backing that. I’m only putting two and two together, maybe getting five.
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“But I suspect Mark probably says the same thing. But I hope we’ll see when the season starts how Oscar drives because he definitely had an advantage over Lando and the minute he started to lengthen his braking areas and brake later, then he’s just trying to beat Lando on Lando’s own terms and that’s going to be very difficult for him to do.”
Nico Rosberg questioned Piastri’s driving style last season and it’ll be something McLaren keep a close eye on as the season goes on.
Piastri will be well aware that the closer he gets to Norris’ style, the more precise McLaren can be with the development of their cars which theoretically should give them an advantage.
However, if it doesn’t suit how he intuitively drives, then it may end up slowing him down and he will need to decide sooner rather than later the path he wishes to choose.
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