Lando Norris reveals which teammate he has learned the most from during his years at McLaren so far. In 2025, the Brit found himself in a title fight with teammate Oscar Piastri for the first time, and it is the Australian who has pushed Norris to exceed his own expectations more than former teammates Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo.
Lando Norris clinched his first world title in Abu Dhabi, but it was not without a struggle. Both teammate Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen posed a threat to the Brit’s title dream until the final race of the season. Norris admits that it was not easy to be in a title fight with a teammate.
“Sometimes I really struggled in my battle with Oscar, and Oscar did an incredible job,” Norris told the media. The McLaren driver emphasized that the past three years have elevated him to a higher level, partly thanks to the Australian. “I’m glad I’ve had Oscar as a teammate for the past three years, because even though he has much less experience than I do, I’ve learned a lot from him and he has often outperformed me. I’ve been able to learn a lot from him and without that, I wouldn’t be the driver I am now.”
Teammates
However, Piastri is not the only teammate Norris has had. Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo previously occupied the second McLaren seat. “Of course, I’ve had other teammates – Carlos, Daniel – over the past few years. But Oscar has made me push myself further than I ever have before. More than I’ve ever done before. Because he was performing better than me mid-season and consistently delivering better work. I think people don’t understand how challenging it can be to have teammates who are fighting for a world championship.”
Norris admitted that the title fight against Piastri brought inevitable downsides. “And we take points off each other. We make our lives harder. Strategy is always more difficult,” continued the newly crowned world champion. “But the team would always prefer that over just one car participating in the world championship.” Norris predicts a golden future for his teammate: “At some point, he will beat me, because he is an incredible driver.”
