Lando Norris 'Very Good Benchmark' As Piastri Gains More Confidence

Thursday, 14 December 2023 at 03:00

2023 rookie of the year Oscar Piastri discussed the influence of his results and performance comparisons with Lando Norris on his confidence.

McLaren F1 driver Oscar Piastri finished ninth in the Drivers' Championship in 2023, even though he competed at the back of the grid for the first ten races of the season.

On one hand, driving at the back of the grid wasn't probably motivating for the Australian at the time. On the other hand, he turned it into a positive recently, as he said he's basically been in every situation F1 drivers can find themselves in except for the Championship battle.

The 22-year-old also admitted the results in the second half of the season were a lot more motivating for him. He told F1:

"A lot of it [confidence] – for right or wrong – comes from results, and I think all it takes sometimes is one good result and then you’ve got the belief that you can do it."

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Piastri not only achieved great results in the form of two Grand Prix and two Sprint podiums with one Sprint victory, but he also kept pace with his teammate many times throughout the season.

Moreover, the Aussie was able to create positive pressure on Lando Norris, who had to improve his own driving so as not to get beaten by a rookie teammate. Piastri is aware of his teammate's qualities as he said:

"In F1 there's only your team-mate that you can directly compare to, and Lando has been a very good benchmark."

Norris, in general, has been faster this season than Piastri. However, it wasn't expected from the 22-year-old to beat one of the best drivers on the grid straight away, and therefore, every time he beat him in qualification or race, it has been very encouraging.

"That's probably been the thing that's given me the confidence and then the results later in the year as well."

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the Papaya team was surprised with Australia's "exceptional" first season. The team was so satisfied that Piastri got his contract prolonged until the end of the 2026 season. The number 81 driver added:

"But also, just simply knowing that I can mix it with these guys and now that I’m here with McLaren for another three years at least, all of those things help your confidence."