Is Lando Norris going to succumb to pressure from teammate, Oscar Piastri?
Lando Norris took his first win at Miami last year in the 2024 Formula 1 season. He has been a part of the grid since 2019 F1 season with McLaren. Norris’s ambitions are clear. He wants to win a world championship. He was a former driver in the McLaren Junior Drivers Program. Lando Norris was devoid of a win although he had many chances in the previous years.
Norris and McLaren amazing pace throughout the 2024 F1 season. The McLaren had finally caught up to the Red Bulls and was dethroning the Bulls from their dominance. At one point, Lando Norris was going up against Max Verstappen. He could not win the driver’s title. But, he did set a benchmark for himself and the rest of the paddock for the 2025 F1 season.
Also Read: Lando Norris Stays Self-Critical About His Performance!
However, things are not proceeding smoothly for the Belgian-Briton Papaya driver. Lando Norris has won only one out of six races in the 2025 season. He sits second in the championship ahead of Max Verstappen. Although, this year, Norris is facing a huge obstacle in his path to world championship. His teammate- Oscar Piastri, who has four victories already, is performing much better than Norris.
There can only be one winner in Formula 1. And due to the strict nature of the sport, teams can only prioritize one driver during a season. The number 1 driver receives the upgrades first and has the better strategy. Fortunately, at Papaya, things are done differently. Zak Brown is in support of racing. He has relayed the instructions to let his drivers compete.
At least in the starting stages of the championship, Lando Norris has equal chances to go up against Oscar Piastri. There’s no denying the fact that the recent developments have caused a stir in the McLaren camp. Oscar Piastri is performing on a much better level compared to Lando Norris. In 2024, McLaren did use team orders to help Norris.
The current situation puts Oscar on top and McLaren will have to prioritize him if his lead in the championship gets bigger. Even if the pressure is silent, the signs point to the fact that it is building up.
Norris’s self blame and confidence issues are not helping the condition either. F1 fans noticed that Max Verstappen raced differently against Norris compared to Piastri. Mind games are an important and deciding factor in the races. In his current state, Lando Norris easily falls prey to Max Verstappen. He also required Piastri’s tactics to overcome against Max Verstappen in Miami.
It is a going to be a hard pill to swallow for the Briton. But, as things stand currently, his teammate who is much younger and less experienced has more wins that him. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris make a great duo off track but friendships don’t work on track. Norris was once the start of McLaren. But for now, he is not performing at the level expected of him.
Lando Norris has time until the summer break. He needs to stage a comeback. And, he needs to get better and faster than his teammate. Each team will bring in performance upgrades after the summer break. If Lando Norris is still lagging behind his teammate by then, there’s a high chance that he will get sidelined. McLaren won’t risk losing the driver’s championship to other teams. After the summer break, they will not have enough margin to foster teammate rivalry.
Also Read: Oscar Piastri, the Silent Formula 1 Champion in Making!
