Former F1 boss opens up on Oscar Piastri’s performance as ‘formidable’ Lando Norris is a threat to title

Former F1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer has delivered a take on Oscar Piastri's chances against a 'formidable' title contender in Lando Norris. The McLaren duo are widely considered the title favourites with five wins between them in the six starts so far.

Norris launched his title bid with a win in the season-opening Australian GP, but has since fallen short of the top step due to costly mistakes in crucial moments. Piastri, on the other hand, has stepped up his qualifying and backed it up with consistent race craft, a skill that was evident in his three straight wins after Japan.

Norris broke his winless streak when luck favoured him at the Miami Sprint race, as a well-timed pitstop during a safety car period kept him in the lead. That said, Norris stood to benefit such a occurrence owing to his constant placing among the frontrunners. Notably, the Briton has posted four podium finishes as a respite to his dearth of race wins.

During a podcast episode of RacingNews365, Szafnauer opened up about Piastri's progress against Norris.

"I think, Oscar is still on a learning curve. And I think you're right, it was pretty steep from last year to this year, and he's definitely progressed. Lando is a formidable team-mate to have, he's also exceptionally good. And I think on one lap pace Lando is probably still ahead, but only marginally, not like last year."

Following his triumph at the Miami Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri has surpassed Norris in total career wins, now standing at six to the Briton's five. The result also extended his lead over Norris by 16 points in the standings.

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Martin Brundle comments on McLaren's dilemma between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris

Former F1 driver and pundit Martin Brundle weighed in on McLaren's growing dilemma between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, with both drivers pushing for lead status within the team. The Woking-based outfit has emerged as a clear frontrunner in the Constructor's Championship, but Brundle believes they may need to pick a lead driver if they're to bag the driver's crown as well.

"The problem McLaren have got is, if you wait until somebody is mathematically out of the world championship, that's going to be October, November time, in this championship. So, McLaren might have to take a decision before that to make a choice. It depends how it unfolds, but they won't be thinking about that until the summer break, at least," he said via Sky Sports F1 podcast.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently dropped a bombshell of a take when he admitted that a clash between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris was inevitable. The papaya duo now head into the european leg of the calendar beginning with the Imola GP, a track where both the drivers have yet to score a victory.