Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are different characters, but they respect each other—has Mark Webber already made Piastri’s mistake for him?
The two McLaren world championship contenders couldn’t be more different. On the one hand, there’s the cool and controlled Oscar Piastri, and on the other, the emotional and often vulnerable Lando Norris, who is frequently in conflict with himself and his own performance.
On the track, the two are evenly matched and on a similar level, but outside the car, the differences become clear. Piastri is amazed at how openly Norris deals with his perceived weaknesses, and even though it doesn’t match his own attitude, he respects this approach.
“Lando is a very open person,” Piastri told The Telegraph about his teammate. “To be honest, sometimes it’s to his own detriment. But at the same time, it’s also a good quality. We’re different types of people, but I respect the way he deals with it.”
In the past, however, Norris has often been criticized for his attitude, which some believe stands in his way. Not everyone believes he has what it takes to win a world championship title because, when in doubt, he tends to hold back against the likes of Max Verstappen or Piastri and comes up short. But Piastri denies that this makes him drive less aggressively against Norris.
“Not really,” he laughs. “I don’t think you should give anyone an inch – no matter who it is, in racing or in sport. And that doesn’t change. Especially not when the helmet is on. I get on well with Lando. But when the helmet is on, there are no friends for any of us 20.”
What helps Piastri in this regard is the influence of his manager Mark Webber, who protects Piastri from putting his foot in his mouth based on his own mistakes. Webber himself had to fight to assert himself within his team during his career, especially against Sebastian Vettel, who was the number one driver and the favorite at Red Bull at the time.
“Not bad for a number two driver” is one of the Australian’s famous quotes after a victory, and he wants to protect Piastri from this number two status at McLaren and seems to be succeeding. “When it comes to fighting for your position, Mark has been extremely valuable to me,” Piastri confirms.
“Just from the experience he’s gained in his own career – in a world championship team, in the title fight – there’s a lot of hindsight that’s hugely helpful to me.” Although he says that some lessons have to be learned the hard way, “I definitely feel that Mark’s experience has helped me avoid a lot of [negative] lessons.”
“He helps me avoid potential pitfalls. He thinks of questions – either for me, my engineers or the team – before they even occur to me,” says the championship leader. “That was incredibly valuable, especially in the early years of my career, and it got me to where I am today very quickly.”
