After Oscar Piastri’s rookie season in Formula 1 with McLaren, Lando Norris has given the Australian driver high praise.
After being at the center of a dispute between McLaren and Alpine for his services for the 2023 campaign, Piastri joined the Woking-based team.
The 22-year-old chose to join McLaren after the team extended an offer for the upcoming season after serving as Alpine’s reserve driver for 2022.
Oscar Piastri’s rookie season in Formula 1 with McLaren has garnered plaudits from Lando Norris.
Piastri became a member of the Woking-based team following a dispute between McLaren and Alpine over his services for the 2023 campaign.
When serving as Alpine’s reserve driver for 2022, the 22-year-old decided to join McLaren when the team made an offer for the upcoming season.
After a difficult start to the year, Piastri helped McLaren climb to fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship with two podium finishes, a sprint pole position, and a victory in Qatar.
Piastri’s efforts and pressure-coping skills were praised by Norris, who finished the campaign with seven podiums.
Oscar had a fantastic season, according to Norris. “Reminding yourself to stay composed and authentic is a wonderful idea.
“I believe he has done an extremely good job of handling pressure—better than I think I was when I first started, but I believe that’s because everyone handles pressure and staying cool and collected differently.
I believe that’s something I’ve improved greatly over the years; I can now handle all of these situations far better on my own.
“I admire Oscar greatly for his ability to maintain such composure in a strange setting—the Formula 1 main arena.”
“This is the correct course.”
According to Norris, McLaren’s performance last season was the greatest F1 turnaround in the previous ten years, coming from the back of the grid to the podium.
After releasing its livery earlier this year, the team will unveil its 2024 vehicle, called the MCL38, on February 14.
When the team takes to the track for the season-opening Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Norris is optimistic that it will be far more competitive than it was a year ago.
“It seems like we’re headed in the right direction.” In the last four, five, or six months, we’ve actually learned so much. We have therefore learned a great deal from our progress.
Although not all they can bring to us will be on the automobile right away, we already know certain things about the new hires that we have on board.
We’re finally moving in the right direction, so I’m happy about that. I just want the season to get off to a good start.
“I’ll be much more excited if we can get off to a good start in Bahrain.”
