The biggest danger for Norris: Why Piastri can beat him in style

Season rundown

Of course, on paper, Lando Norris has had a better season than Oscar Piastri. The Brit is in his sixth season in the sport, and it appears as if his experience has meant he can comfortably triumph against his teammate. Norris has out-qualified Piastri, who is in just his second season in the sport, 11-3 in qualifying sessions. Quite a beating, it might be said. Norris has also outscored his teammate, with 199 points to his name compared to Piastri's 167. So, why is this article even being made if Norris is clearly beating Piastri on paper in 2024?

Piastri's growing strengths

The young Australian will continue to grow in F1. If his glittering junior career is anything to go by (back-to-back F3 and F2 titles in 2020 and 2021), then the 23-year-old can definitely become a world title contender in the future. Where does this relate to Norris, then? Well, the 'experience' explanation will soon fade as Piastri racks up more F1 miles in a top-tier car. Norris' first time in a serious race-winning contender was last year. Of course, there were a few opportunities like Sochi in 2021, but the result of this demonstrated his lack of experience leading the field. After six seasons, he has one victory to his name, just like his younger teammate. Yes, Norris has been stronger over the year, but Piastri outperformed Norris in Hungary and Spa. At times, he was faster at Silverstone, too. On that occasion, the Australian lost out after a team strategy blunder, with some 'questionable' McLaren decisions this season being a whole other topic.

"In fairness, I have to say that today the two drivers looked very similar. I would invite you to look at what happened last year where Oscar really struggled to control race pace because this gives a sense of how much he has improved in these 12 months in terms of managing tyres in a race stint and in a high-degradation situation." Team boss Andrea Stella explained to GPblog and others after the Hungarian Grand Prix, underlining exactly where Piastri has and continues to improve. 

One race where Piastri excelled was in Monaco. The Australian expertly wound his way through the infamous streets. He started and finished in P2, demonstrating excellent management in a race where his teammate finished off the podium. Impressive, therefore, for a relatively inexperienced F1 driver around the most treacherous circuit on the calendar. Clearly, still, there is still room for improvement for Piastri in all areas and he is yet to be a complete driver. However, he already has everything he needs to become one of the best. 

Where Norris is at risk

Norris' disadvantage is clear - his temperament. There's no doubt that he's a blisteringly quick driver, but this weakness must be smoothed over if he wants to become a world champion. He's very hard on himself and is still relatively new to F1 front running. "For Lando, it looks like statistically some opportunities tend to happen in the early stages of the race, so we need to check if this is the early stages of the race for a reason or is just random," Stella said after the Belgian Grand Prix. Norris' three poles this season (including the Chinese sprint) haven't been converted. Instead, Norris has lost positions off the line and tends to wind himself up because of this. When the Brit is feeling confident, however, it would be hard for any driver to beat him, which poses a serious challenge to his teammate. 

How Piastri can take advantage of this

One thing Oscar Piastri has been renowned for since his arrival in F1 is his cool head. No matter his result, the Australian always emerges from his car in a relaxed, almost robotic manner, as if he were a veteran of the sport. Emotionally, it could be argued that Piastri is more intelligent than his older teammate Norris, who is known to be highly fuelled by his emotions. Norris also tends to pressurise himself highly, becoming known for his 'could've, should've, would've' interviews after races where he made a mistake which cost him valuable points. Can Piastri be ruthless and take advantage of his teammate's mistakes?

As the papaya outfit aim for the constructor's title, McLaren's inter-team battle is sure to be one of the most fascinating sub-plots to take place in the remainder of the 2024 season. Piastri's cool, mature persona might be the key to beating his teammate. A polished, relaxed Piastri we could easily see throughout the remainder of this season could turn into Norris' kryptonite.