The first real on-track skirmishes between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, touching wheels at the start of the last Singapore Grand Prix, might be an isolated incident or the prelude to an internal McLaren battle that is about to erupt, much to the delight of neutral fans. To get a complete answer, we will need to wait for the upcoming races, and the Austin Sprint weekend will certainly provide more clues. Juan Pablo Montoya, however, is convinced that Lando has shed his “nice guy” persona towards his teammate and all rivals, and that the McLaren pit wall—the team Montoya raced for in 2005-2006—has a clear preference for the Englishman over the young Australian talent.
Does McLaren favor one driver?
“I think they prefer Norris over Piastri,” Montoya explained in an interview with Fruity King. “Lando has more history with the team. He has been there, grown with them, and when he joined McLaren, the team wasn’t where it should have been. I also think he has a very good relationship with Zak Brown. Of course, if Oscar became world champion, things could change, but today, even if they are on equal terms, Lando’s value is still higher than Oscar’s.”
The Austin weekend could already be decisive: “Actually, I think if Piastri manages to challenge Norris at the US GP, then Lando might give up. For now, he continues to gain points and chip away race after race, but if his rival manages to take five or seven points from him in the next two races, I think Lando might throw in the towel for good.”
Montoya impressed by Norris’ progress
Montoya also commented on Norris’ improvement, noting his more aggressive approach in races. At Singapore, Norris was even slightly criticized by Max Verstappen for a supposed blocking maneuver in qualifying: “Lando is no longer Mr. Nice Guy, and this is starting to bother Max. Look at the first corner in Monza, when Lando didn’t give way, or Singapore qualifying, where he wasn’t even close to Verstappen, yet Max claimed he ruined his lap. If it didn’t bother you, you wouldn’t mention it…”
“It’s not a serious issue,” Montoya concluded, “but it’s in Max’s mind. Six months ago, when Lando was behind Max, Max was relaxed because he knew Lando wouldn’t pass him. Now, however, when they enter a braking zone, Max checks his mirror to see if Lando is about to attack. I think things have changed, and that’s thanks to Norris, because perhaps the only criticism he faced before was that he wasn’t improving. Now he is, and it’s really impressive to watch.”
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