Windsor sees Piastri excelling: 'In a Red Bull, he’d be really quick'
General
Peter Windsor likes what Oscar Piastri has shown at McLaren in the first five races of the season. Lando Norris may have more World Championship points than his teammate (ten to four), but the Australian has impressed more for now. According to Windsor, that could have implications for Norris' future at McLaren.
Piastri exceeds expectations
“I think he drives really, really well and he’s got enormous potential", Windsor interjects in a live stream on his YouTube channel. "In a Red Bull right now, he’d be really quick. In a Ferrari, he’d be not far away from Sainz out of the box. It’s very early days [so] obviously he’s not as quick as George [Russell] or Lewis [Hamilton] or Charles [Leclerc] or Max [Verstappen]. But I think he’s potentially right up there."
According to the renowned Formula One journalist, that could cause a problem for Norris. "I’m not saying that Lando’s not as quick if not quicker. I think Lando’s got enormous potential as well, but he’s in danger at the moment of going sideways in terms of his career at McLaren and Piastri has got nothing to lose at McLaren. He can only gain by looking good alongside Lando."
Norris drove Daniel Ricciardo pretty much lost the past two seasons and the young Briton is therefore considered a huge talent. Yet Piastri manages to keep up with his teammate very well in his debut season. "This is an important year for Lando because he needs to come out of it basically being three tenths to five tenths quicker than Piastri everywhere and blowing him away. That’s not happening yet."
Norris' future
Norris is stuck with McLaren until 2025. The 23-year-old driver is now entering his fifth season at the Woking-based racing stable, but he is starting to get a bit impatient. His contemporaries fight structurally for podium finishes, while he has to make do with a place in the middle of the pack at best. According to Windsor, it can therefore not be ruled out that Norris will leave towards a Red Bull, especially if Piastri continues to do so well. Indeed, the British journalist does see the dynamics changing within McLaren due to Piastri's good performance.