McLaren driver Oscar Piastri celebrated his third Formula 1 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix. The Australian redeemed himself after a disappointing home race in Melbourne and is now only ten points behind his teammate Lando Norris. A title fight is brewing within McLaren, predicts analyst and former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle. The upcoming races promise to be very interesting.
For now, the rivalry can be described as harmonious. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have won a race this season. The former still leads in the drivers’ standings, closely followed by Max Verstappen, George Russell, and teammate Piastri. In his column for Sky Sports, Brundle predicts that it won’t be long before the battle within McLaren erupts. After all, the MCL39 is performing at an exceptional level.
‘McLaren on a Roll’
“Norris has increased his lead over Verstappen by one point after the sprint weekend in China,” says the Brit. “Much more ominous is the fact that his lead over teammate Piastri has shrunk to ten points.” Piastri drove a flawless race during the main event in Shanghai and managed to convert the first pole position of his career into a victory. “The next race is in Suzuka,” Brundle continued. “It’s going to be very intense between the two McLaren drivers.”
Brundle wonders if Norris could have challenged his teammate in the final stages of the race, had he not been plagued by brake problems. “The question is whether Norris could have managed that,” the analyst said. “Because his brake pedal stopped working, we didn’t get an answer to that. Norris, at least, skillfully kept George Russell behind him – who was meanwhile driving another good race for Mercedes.” Brundle emphasizes that McLaren, under normal circumstances, is facing little competition for the time being. “It was the team’s fiftieth one-two finish in history – they are really on a roll,” he concluded.
