Former racer Johnny Herbert observes the increasing pressure from Lando Norris on Oscar Piastri. The Australian feels the heat from his teammate in the battle for the world title, as Norris is now only 22 points behind the championship leader. According to Herbert, this is why the ‘cool Piastri’ from the start of the season has disappeared: ‘We are seeing small, minuscule cracks appearing in him.’
The gap between championship leader Oscar Piastri and closest rival Lando Norris has shrunk to 22 World Championship points after the Singapore Grand Prix. The battle between the McLaren drivers is therefore far from over, especially as Max Verstappen is making a surge in the drivers’ championship. According to Johnny Herbert, more and more ‘cracks’ are appearing in the normally ‘cool’ Australian.”We are seeing small, minuscule cracks appearing in Oscar,” concludes Herbert in a discussion with a betting platform. “The cool Oscar Piastri that everyone was talking about at the beginning of the season has disappeared.” In Singapore, Norris overtook his teammate in the opening round, crossing the finish line ahead of the Australian. “It wasn’t the perfect result for Lando in Singapore, but he did finish ahead of Oscar. The difference is now 22 points. So, he’s putting pressure on Oscar, but he’s also doing great. He’s showing his speed again and they’re very close to each other. This is really where they all show their inner strength and mental power.”
Herbert Defends Norris
Norris’s overtaking of his teammate on the Marina Bay Street Circuit caused some controversy. The Brit passed the Australian right away in the opening corners, but in doing so, he did hit his teammate’s car. “That wasn’t very sportsmanlike of him,” Piastri complained over the radio. However, Herbert sides with Norris.
“I don’t think there was anything wrong with what Lando did. Yes, there was a bit of friction between them, but that’s part of racing. And I think Oscar is well aware that this is part of racing, because when they were asked to switch in Monza, he said, I believe: ‘That’s not racing’,” Herbert refers to the controversial team order from McLaren during the Italian GP. “And he was absolutely right, because that’s how it sometimes goes in racing. Sometimes you have those bad pit stops and that’s just part of it.”
