According to former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya, Oscar Piastri has gotten into the head of his teammate Lando Norris. The Brit started the season strongly, immediately taking the lead in the championship. However, after five rounds, he had to relinquish that position to Piastri, who, thanks to his relaxed character and controlled driving style, has already won three Grand Prix. Montoya warns that Norris needs to start focusing on his own races.
Although Norris began his title fight with a stunning victory in Australia, he made several crucial mistakes in recent weeks. Particularly in the qualifiers, he seemed to buckle under the pressure. This allowed teammate Oscar Piastri to win as many as three races and take a ten-point lead in the championship. The recent Saudi Arabian GP perfectly encapsulated the contrasts between the two McLaren drivers: Norris crashed in Q3 and had to fight back from the tenth starting position to a fourth place, while Piastri seemingly effortlessly secured another victory.
Former driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes that Norris’ self-confidence has taken a hit because Piastri is becoming an increasingly larger threat. He advises the Brit to focus on himself instead of worrying about the other side of the garage. “Absolutely, Oscar Piastri has gotten into Lando Norris’ head,” the Colombian declared to GrandPrix247. “Norris just wants so much more than is realistically achievable.”
Minimal Differences
“I think someone just needs to tell Norris: ‘Stop looking at Piastri, just focus on yourself’,” continued Montoya. “Recently, he said it felt like he had never been in a Formula 1 car before. That’s when he started making mistakes. If he just stays in his own bubble, I personally think he could easily beat Piastri.” Montoya finds it regrettable that Norris downplays McLaren’s speed. “When things were going well, he was always the underdog,” he explained. “But now he’s driving the best car, so he shouldn’t put extra pressure on himself. Just celebrate being the fastest and win races.”
Montoya further explained that the difference between Norris and Piastri is marginal – and that’s exactly the problem. The Brit is looking for a margin that simply isn’t there, leading to overcompensation. “Norris wants to take pole position with a margin of three or four tenths, but that’s when mistakes start to happen,” said Montoya. A cool-headed Piastri, meanwhile, would take advantage of this trait: “He puts Norris under such pressure that he can force mistakes.”
Because the differences between the two McLaren drivers are so small, Montoya believes the team will struggle to designate a first driver. “If Norris had a clear advantage, you could say: ‘Okay, let’s be smart.’ But that’s not the case now. That’s why I think they’re going to base everything on qualifications. After all, they want to score points. So if you qualify first, it’s automatically your race – unless something strange happens, of course. In principle, they should keep this up until the constructors’ title is secured.”
