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Lando Norris will team up with Oscar Piastri in what would be their second season together for the two drivers. The first season together saw both Lando and Oscar enjoy a very competitive McLaren under them, which helped them express themselves in the best possible manner. The two drivers secured pole positions and podiums.
Oscar also secured a sprint win in Qatar as the young Australian impressed everyone in his debut season. Lando more often than not held the upper hand over Oscar as the two dragged McLaren to 4th in the championship.
Having said that, there's a lot more that needs to happen this season for McLaren to continue to be a frontrunner. At the same time, the 2024 F1 season is crucial for Lando Norris as hell as he cannot afford to get outperformed by Oscar Piastri. Here's why.
#1 McLaren has finally got a strong car
One of the major reasons why Lando Norris cannot afford to have a bad season is because, for the first time in his career, there is a big chance that McLaren will be a front-running car for the entire season.
The 2023 F1 season showed that the team had the right platform in place and all it needed to do in the winter was to continue work on it and make it better.
For the last few years, Lando Norris has made it a point to drag the McLaren out of tough positions and bring strong results. He was one of the standout drivers in the midfield and was a pivotal part of McLaren getting the results that it did.
Lando has worked hard and toiled endlessly for this moment when the team has a strong car. If at this moment a new driver in Oscar Piastri comes, takes over, and becomes team leader then that is surely not something that Lando Norris would want to see.
#2 His stock falls big time if he loses
At the moment, Lando Norris is considered an elite driver by many in F1. After the 2023 F1 season, Norris was ranked in the top 5 by almost every reputed publication. The driver has shown that he's brilliantly talented and has shown immense growth over the years. There have even been rumors of other teams showing interest in Lando when McLaren wasn't doing well.
Having said that, if a young driver comes in and starts being competitive against him and slowly takes over and beats him regularly, that's not a good look. That would surely raise Oscar Piastri's stock but considerably drop Norris' stock as well.
#3 Lando Norris will see the team galvanize around Oscar Piastri
One of the biggest issues that Norris could face if Oscar Piastri beats him is that he would see the team galvanize around the Australian. Lando has been the darling of the team since he made his debut in 2019. He's also grown in stature over the years and has taken the role of the leader within the team.
If he does end up losing out to Oscar the team will naturally galvanize around the young driver who is bringing the results. This was something that Daniel Ricciardo also experienced at Red Bull and it led to his eventual departure from the team.
