McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will do battle once again at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. It’s currently one apiece in the win column after Piastri hit back in China last time out.
Norris still has a 10-point edge in the championship, with Max Verstappen and George Russell separating the two. That’s because Piastri slipped to ninth at the Australian GP with a heartbreaking spin in nightmare conditions.
Still, the third-year driver showed in Shanghai that he’s fast enough to seriously challenge for the championship. While mistakes disguised Norris’ true pace, Piastri beat him in every meaningful session across the weekend.
The Melbourne-born racer also bagged his first ever pole position, which could be a meaningful boost to his confidence. Norris’ Saturday advantage was key in the intra-team battle last year as he eventually took precedence.
McLaren were three-tenths ahead of the pack in Australia qualifying, and while Russell split the two cars in China, they showed their strength in the race. Piastri cruised to a 9.7-second victory and Norris held off the Mercedes driver for second even with late brake issues.
Zak Brown made Lando Norris sound like his ‘chosen son’ at McLaren – not Oscar Piastri
Red Bull, Ferrari and perhaps even Mercedes will look to complicate the title picture with decisive upgrades, but right now, Norris and Piastri unquestionably look like the main contenders. This could present a tenure-defining test for Zak Brown and Andrea Stella.
Speaking on the Unlapped podcast, US broadcaster Nicole Briscoe shared her ‘hmm moment’ from a recent interview with Brown. The McLaren CEO stated that the team’s main goal in 2024 was to break Norris’ victory duck.
Generally, it sounded as if the British driver was his ‘chosen son’, rather than Piastri. The team have repeatedly said that they have ‘two number one drivers’.
“I’m working on a feature about Zak Brown,” Briscoe said. “I had a great sit-down conversation with him.
“One of the things that stood out to me the most – it was just this ‘hmm’ moment – was that Zak said, when they went into last season, being involved in the championship fight was not on his radar. His number one goal was to get Lando win.
“He was like ‘Lando, Lando, Lando, Oscar too’. I thought that was a super telling sentence.
“The team’s CEO seems so much more in the corner of Lando. It’s not a slight to Oscar. We don’t like have to favourite children, but there’s the impression there that, maybe a little bit, Lando is the chosen son.”
Oscar Piastri was asked if he expects to McLaren’s team leader – his response was brilliant
Norris joined McLaren in 2019 and has stayed put while Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo have, for different reasons, come and gone. All 130 of his F1 race starts have come in papaya.
When he joined, the team were coming off a sixth-place finish and a meagre 62-point haul. Last year, they were crowned constructors’ champions, and Norris has clearly been instrumental in that journey.
Perhaps it’s inevitable that, subconsciously, Brown feels a greater connection to Norris. As long as he doesn’t let that seep into his managerial decisions, Piastri may not mind.
Both Norris and Piastri are on long-term deals at McLaren. The team feel they have tied down the best partnership on the grid.
Piastri believes he can eventually become team leader for the Woking outfit. In a recent interview, he said he wouldn’t have signed a new deal if he didn’t have total faith in his ability to overhaul Norris – an ice-cold, authoritiative statement.
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