Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, currently leading the drivers’ championship, are now also embroiled in an internal title fight. Both drivers are vying for their first Formula 1 title, but according to Piastri, this does not mean they will do everything in their power to secure it for themselves. ‘We will never do anything that puts the team or ourselves in a bad light,’ explains the Australian.
McLaren stands tall in the constructors’ championship with 319 points. The British racing team has even already scored more than double the number of points of second-place Mercedes, 147, during the first eight races of the season. In the drivers’ championship too, it’s McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris who occupy the first and second spots. Many experts are anticipating a ‘Papaya War’, following the Silver War between teammates and title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes, but according to Piastri, it won’t come to that.
Speaking to the media in Barcelona, Piastri explains how he hopes to balance his personal ambitions with the interests of the team. “It’s impossible to align your personal goals directly with those of the team,” the Australian explains. “And that’s something we’ve both been very honest about, something the team has been very aware of. At the end of last year, we already had the feeling that if we started this year with a car as strong as the one we ended with, we would be in this situation.”
Multiple Title Opportunities
Although a battle between Piastri and Norris is inevitable according to McLaren CEO Zak Brown, the Australian insists on not letting it get out of hand. “We will never do anything that is unsporting or puts the team or ourselves in a bad light. That’s just not how Lando Norris and I are,” continues the man from Melbourne. “Of course, we want to beat each other every weekend, but we will never cross a line that causes irreparable damage. After all, we are both going to be at McLaren for a long time after this year, and we want to fight for the championship every year. We both understand that it would be very unwise to try to win one championship and thus shoot ourselves in the foot.”
