Norris shares honest opinion of Piastri as McLaren star taught a lesson

19 January 2024 , 18:49

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Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri head into their second F1 season as McLaren team-mates (Image: Getty Images)

Lando Norris admitted he learned from rookie team-mate Oscar Piastri in their first season together.

Norris is just 24 but has plenty of Formula 1 experience under his belt already. And he is the elder statesman of the two McLaren drivers now that he is joined by 22-year-old Piastri.

The Aussie enjoyed an excellent first season in F1. Like Norris, he was hampered in the early rounds by a slow car - but as soon as upgrades arrived both drivers delivered to show that the future is bright for the team in terms of its driver line-up.

Piastri will have no doubt been able to learn a lot from his new team-mate. Likewise, Norris said he was taught an important lesson by his rookie partner as he heaped praise upon him.

Norris said: "Oscar had an incredible season. Keeping calm and being yourself, it's good to be reminded of that. I think he's been very, very good at dealing with pressure, better than I feel like I remember I was when I started.

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"But I think that's because everyone is very different with all of this - dealing with pressure and remaining calm and chilled. I think that is something that I've got a lot better with over the years. I know how to deal with all of these things much better myself now.

"I have a lot of respect for Oscar in how he was able to stay so calm in a new environment, in Formula 1, on the big stage." Norris is far from the only one who has been blown away by how relaxed Piastri looked throughout his maiden F1 season, despite the pressure upon him.

Even in those early weeks, when he would have been frustrated about the lack of performance he was getting from the car, Piastri had praise showered upon him by team principal Andrea Stella. "What impresses us is his awareness of his opportunities while driving," said the Italian.

"He could come back and make comments like, 'I think I braked a little too early in corner one, I didn't go on throttle early enough in four'. And then you look at the data, and it is exactly it. So, his awareness of the performance opportunities, that's the first point. And then he goes out for the second run, and he cashes in these opportunities.

"For me, this is a definition of talent. We see a lot of it. And we are also pleased with the improvement we have seen it day-by-day over the test. I think in terms of the opportunity, overall, F1 is a very, very competitive game, so he just has to go through his own trajectory. And I'm sure the final destination will be as one of the best drivers on the grid."

Daniel Moxon