The Roman champion, five-time Le Mans winner with Audi, believes in the theory of communicating vessels. In 2023, Pirro led the McLaren Driver Development program and in 1988 was a Woking test driver when Senna and Prost were teammates. We asked Emanuele about the similarities and differences with the Norris – Piastri rivalry.
How much does a single point matter in the world championship fight between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with four GPs and two Sprint races remaining? “Nothing,” explains Emanuele Pirro, five-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner with Audi.
We sought out the 63-year-old Roman driver for good reason: in his youth, after competing in 37 F1 Grands Prix with Benetton and Scuderia Italia, Emanuele was chosen as a McLaren test driver during the era of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost (1988-1991), and in 2023 he became head of the McLaren Driver Development program, gaining a close understanding of young talents and the top Woking drivers from the inside.
With this background, Pirro’s take on the championship battle is especially interesting, considering Max Verstappen is also in the mix.
“It’s an exciting and far from predictable battle,” explains Emanuele. “We see Lando Norris on a roll and Oscar Piastri slightly struggling. The Australian seems to have lost his composure: I like the idea that these incredibly fast young drivers show some human mistakes. It’s not trivial or predictable. We were told that Oscar may have struggled on recent low-grip and very hot tracks, but it won’t always be like that, and it’s fantastic to see the two McLaren drivers separated by only one point after 20 Grands Prix.”
Can Piastri’s dip in form be explained?
“I have no elements to judge. Even Norris at one point seemed out of the fight, but Lando, with the help of a psychologist who did excellent work, managed to regain the motivation to get back in the race.”
McLaren has confirmed it will not replace Oscar’s chassis, but is checking all performance elements of the MCL39 (floor, wings, etc.), not ruling out that technical factors could have contributed to the Australian’s dip.
“I remember one incident,” Pirro continues. “We were preparing the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the diesel, and during testing we had three sets of rear wings for the Sarthe race. It may seem incredible, but each element generated slightly different downforce and had different structural rigidity, even though they were built identically. These are differences you only notice when testing, so anything is possible.”
What is your personal view?
“I’ve come to a conviction: when there are such close and exciting battles between teammates, I think of communicating vessels. When one driver improves, the other inevitably suffers. Your psychological strength comes partly from your rival’s weakness. And I believe what we are seeing with Piastri and Norris illustrates this perfectly. Lando is psychologically more fragile but reacted brilliantly, while Oscar, who seems more composed, must regain full form.”
“Another example of the communicating vessels theory is when a chasing driver gets in the slipstream of the one ahead: with faster pace, the driver behind sees his motivation grow to prepare an overtake. The attack must succeed on the first attempt. Otherwise, the driver ahead, who has been frequently checking mirrors and losing pace, regains strength to defend the position.”
After the Mexican GP, a social media controversy erupted, with some even suggesting Oscar was being sabotaged to favor Norris…
“Let’s not joke,” insists Pirro. “McLaren puts both drivers on track with the best available equipment. Such statements are inappropriate, and it’s not the time to make them, even if Piastri’s dip is visible to everyone.”
You experienced the Senna-Prost era firsthand: how did Woking handle the rivalry between those champions?
“Ron Dennis, team owner, didn’t impose any papaya rules. McLaren made sure both drivers received identical equipment. Jo Ramirez, the skilled team manager, tried to calm tensions, but Ron never restricted Ayrton and Alain.”
And how did the communicating vessels theory apply to them?
“It’s simple: their vessels were so full there was never a transfer. The rivalry grew over time, perhaps reaching hatred, but there was also great mutual respect. They started with small pranks and escalated to throwing… atomic bombs. Remember, Senna and Prost were more mature men compared to the young Norris – Piastri.”
How will it end?
“I really don’t know, especially with Max Verstappen in the mix. The Dutchman is the only modern-era driver with shoulders as broad as Ayrton and Alain. Max lives racing 24 hours a day: all drivers have a psychological breaking point, but not him. Sooner or later, even the four-time champion will face that, but for now he is the only one maintaining extremely high performance without fluctuations.”
Will the papaya rules be a strength or weakness in the final rush?
“At first, I thought they were the best choice,” Pirro concluded, “but when compensations came into play, the situation perhaps became too complicated. A Norris engine failure didn’t help. Maybe it would have been better to accept a few skirmishes, keeping team choices ahead of the drivers’ preferences.”
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