Montoya sees 'Piastri getting inside of Norris' head' in current F1 title battle
12:45, 29 Apr
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Former F1 driver Juan Pablo
Montoya believes Lando Norris's current slump is due to the strong performances of teammate Oscar Piastri. According to the Colombian, the Australian has 'gotten into the head' of the Brit
Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes Oscar Piastri has managed to 'get into Lando Norris' head' this season.
The British driver had a great start to the current campaign with a victory in Australia, but he is yet to return to the top step of the podium since.
In Saudi Arabia, he also finished qualifying in the barrier, and finished in P4 on Sunday, while his teammate, Piastri, managed to earn his third win of the season.
"Oscar Piastri has got inside Lando Norris’s head," Montoya explained to a betting site. "I think somebody needs to be on Lando’s corner to go to him and say, ‘Just stop looking at Oscar. Just do you'.
Montoya critical of Norris
The Colombian also noticed the many mistakes Norris makes. "If Lando stays in his bubble and does what Lando does best without worrying about Oscar, I think Lando could beat him pretty easily. The problem is, Oscar is getting too close for him. I think Lando wants to see like a two or three tenths of a second gap where he can relax," the former driver F1 continued.
"He’s not looking to be on pole by a tenth of a second – he wants three or four. And that’s where the mistakes are coming. They are self-inflicted."
Norris himself claimed he does not mind the favourite tag entering this season. However, Montoya sees that this change might be to much for him.
"Every other year when Lando’s done good, he was the underdog. And this time, like he’s defending himself, saying, ‘We’re still really good, it’s not the car. They are in the best car. He’s putting extra pressure on himself. He shouldn’t be making excuses and apologising. He should just celebrate that they have the best car, tell everyone that everybody on the team is doing an amazing job, and that we’re winning the races."
Is Piastri being favored at McLaren?
McLaren communicate they intend not to prioritise either driver, and that there isn't a second driver in their line-up.
Montoya explains that he does not believe the team would have to make their choice for the time being. "I think if Lando had an advantage, it would be clearer to tell Oscar, ‘OK, let’s be smart.’ That’s not the case."
He concluded with saying that he expects that the Woking-based squad would have to focus on that by the 15th Grand Prix of the season, given that Montoya expects the constructors' title will be wrapped up by then.
"I think what they’re going to do is to base everything on qualifying at the moment. They want to score them. They want to maximise the amount of constructors’ points and they don’t want them to race each other this early in the year. Basically, if you qualify ahead, it’s yours."
This article was written in collaboration with Mitchell van der Hoef
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