Verstappen Compliments 'Most Consistent' McLaren Driver Duo

Sunday, 15 October 2023 at 18:00

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Three-time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen recently applauded McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

The McLaren driver duo consisting of rookie Oscar Piastri and experienced Lando Norris proves to be an excellent combination for the team throughout the 2023 season.

Norris has been with the team since 2019 and is currently under a long-term contract. The team also showed satisfaction with his Australian teammate, who already got his contract prolonged until the end of 2026.

The two drivers have been the ones who have been most competitive with the championship leader (and already winner) Max Verstappen in a recent couple of races.

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Verstappen has stood on the podium with Piastri and Norris in the last two races - the Japanese Grand Prix and the Qatar Grand Prix.

Piastri also beat the Flying Dutchman during the Sprint race in Qatar while he secured the Drivers' World Championship title. Verstappen recently told the media about McLaren:

"I do think that as a team, they are probably the most consistent, compared to the others behind us. They have the best driver line-up out of all of them. They are operating really well."

While Verstappen sees McLaren as a challenger for the race wins up until the end of the season, his main focus is already on the 2024 season where other teams will have a higher chance to catch up.

"It's going to be interesting to the end of the year. But also I think the start of next year, to see where everyone is at."

McLaren started the season in terrible shape, competing at the back of the grid. However, as the season progressed, the team was able to make a few significant steps forward to challenge teams like Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin, and even Red Bull. Verstappen concluded:

"They've been doing a great job. We see that they are getting closer and closer, so we have to try and maintain a bit of a gap. We’ll try to improve a little bit this year, but of course mainly for next year."