Norris And Piastri Could Find Themselves In 'Rosberg-Hamilton Situation' Steiner Predicts

Thursday, 10 October 2024 at 14:00

Updated at Thursday, 10 October 2024 at 14:05

Guenther Steiner suggested McLaren might find themselves with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in a similar situation to Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are about to complete their second Formula 1 season together. So far, the 24-year-old, more experienced Briton has had the upper hand.

However, Piastri keeps improving with every race, and while he didn't have the best start to the season, he has scored the most points in the last eight Grand Prix weekends—143. In comparison, Norris scored 123 in the same period.

Considering that Piastri is still quite a bit behind Norris (32 points in the Drivers' Championship standings) and the 24-year-old might have a chance to compete for the title, the McLaren Racing F1 team stated they would prioritize the Briton from now on.

However, in 2025, all drivers start with a blank slate, and that's where Former F1 team principal Guenther Steiner suggests McLaren might encounter some tense situations. The 59-year-old Italian told City AM:

"I think there could be a Rosberg-Hamilton situation. Piastri is a machine, mentally strong, everything is there and he is very young."

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"If the car is the same level next year they'll be in a big fight from the beginning. If Lando wins this year, Piastri will want his go, while Lando Norris will want another one. "

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Double F1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen believes that McLaren has the best driver pairing on the grid, and even Red Bull's Helmut Marko recently admitted that the Papaya team has a stronger driver duo than Red Bull. Steiner added:

"It is a fantastic problem to have. McLaren are very humble, which is nice, but at some stage you need to believe that you are the man. You cannot play the underdog team when you're the best."