Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are leading McLaren in F1, driving a car that stands out technically from the rest. This offers a real opportunity to fight for the drivers’ title, which the Woking team’s two drivers are currently contending for. Oscar is performing better because he’s able to channel all his talent without distractions. Lando, on the other hand, is clearly struggling. He often loses his composure and makes silly mistakes. After 10 Grands Prix, a major test awaits him.
Paradoxically, the superiority of the MCL39 has exposed certain limitations, even though he is working on improving his mental approach. As highlighted during his battle with Max Verstappen, there’s a huge difference between having the chance to win and being expected to win—especially when the title rival, at least for now, is on the other side of the garage. The mistake in Canada echoed those of the past: a lack of clarity in wheel-to-wheel combat.
Finishing fourth behind Oscar Piastri would have been an acceptable result, considering a qualifying session that was anything but brilliant. Instead, Lando pushed because he felt the need to assert himself as team leader, based on his long tenure with the historic team. In the end, it even turned out relatively well, because beyond his own retirement, the incident could have also damaged his teammate’s car.
Lando, the comparison with Oscar
In the first ten rounds of the season, the Bristol-born driver has shown inconsistent form—going from glory to disappointment within a few weeks. From the superb performance in Monaco to the baffling races in Spain and Canada: a rollercoaster that’s hard to explain. The Monte Carlo victory should have lifted him psychologically, but instead, memory lapses are overtaking Lando’s talent.
The runner-up in the World Championship has often delivered his best performances when he had no personal targets to meet. In this context, Piastri’s exponential growth is magnifying Norris’s weaknesses. The young Australian, in 2025, is addressing what had been his Achilles’ heel over the past two years: qualifying. In ten races, Oscar has outqualified his teammate on six occasions.
Oscar Piastri’s raw numbers are impressive in terms of effectiveness: in just 56 Grands Prix, he has claimed 18 podiums, including seven wins. Lando has competed in 138 Grands Prix, with 34 podiums and “only” six wins. Of course, these raw statistics must be put into context: McLaren only returned to its rightful level last season. Previously, Lando had just one real shot—at Sochi in 2021.
McLaren: Beating Piastri requires more clarity
We’re not even halfway through the championship, but it already feels like the Austrian Grand Prix could represent a turning point in Lando’s season. The gap to his teammate in the standings could easily be closed.
The issue is that the Australian combines his speed with a cool-headedness that makes him highly consistent—despite his very young age.
We’re talking about a guy who, no matter the result over the weekend, never loses his serene calm. Traits that even Max Verstappen has highlighted, as he prepares to give his all in his home race, finding the perfect balance with his Red Bull. The reigning World Champion has, in fact, admitted his admiration for the rival, specifically praising Oscar’s calm approach to the weekend.
McLaren has so far managed the internal rivalry with fairness. However, after Montreal, Andrea Stella made it clear that under no circumstances should the intra-team rivalry hurt the overall result—especially considering that McLaren has already shown it’s capable of losing. It’s up to Lando now to climb back up without mistakes, avoiding the lapses that have marked his career—amnesias that continue to diminish the talent of one of the fastest drivers on the grid.
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