F1 News
Fierce McLaren title battle on the cards? Norris might pick up a trick from Alonso!
Similarly to the Australian Grand Prix, McLaren could so their race pace at the Shanghai International Circuit. This time, a one-two finish was also completed, in the order of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. After joking about what took place in 2007, the British driver looked ahead to a potential title battle against his teammate this season.
Back in 2007, rookie Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso battled hard at McLaren. At the Hungaroring, the Spaniard also impeded the now seven-time world champion in the pit lane, so he could not set another lap in Q3. He originally claimed pole position, but received a five-place grid penalty. That season in the end, it was Kimi Räikkönen who was crowned champion.
18 years later, another title battle between the two McLaren drivers can be on the cards. Norris joked about what happened nearly two decades ago when he was asked about a season-long fight against his teammate, Piastri. "I didn’t watch Formula One back then... it would have been 2007. Oh yes, Lewis and Fernando! You wait until he has a pit stop behind me and I’m not going to drive out. Or we’ll have like a little multi-22 or something!"
On a more serious note, Norris believes they are ready to compete against each other. "I mean, we were free to race today. I didn’t have the pace to really get up to Oscar, and he drove very well. So he deserved it," he praised Piastri.
"Same really last weekend. There were those two laps that I know everyone loves to talk about where we just held position, but the rest of it, we were free to race. So I'm sure we’re going to have some closer racing at some point. I think we’re both excited, probably nervous and excited at the same time, as I’m sure the team will be."
Norris and Piastri will continue to cooperate
Currently, 10 points separate the two drivers, and they both have a Grand Prix victory to their names. They also have two lesser results as well so far. Piastri spun when rain hit the Albert Park track a week ago, while Norris only collected a single point in the Sprint on Saturday.
"We know that as much as we work together and we have a good time and enjoy ourselves, we both know we want to try and beat each other and show who’s best. And that’s inevitable. So there’s no point trying to hide away from that fact or make something of it," Norris continued.
However, the Briton also underlined they will work together, so their rival teams cannot catch up to them. "We’re two competitors who both want to win. But we help each other out. I think we both achieved something better this weekend because of that fact. And we’ll continue to do that."