24/08/2025 19:10
Oscar Piastri has asserted he does not expect his relationship with
Lando Norris to deteriorate as they battle for the F1 title. At the
summer break, Piastri holds a narrow nine-point lead over Norris in
the drivers' championship. The duo are seen as the primary title
protagonists this year due to McLaren's position in the pecking
order, which has seen it win 11 of the 14 grand prix staged to
date. The only clash between the pair so far this year occurred in
Canada, however it was quickly brushed aside when Norris
immediately accepted blame. With the battle likely to only grow in
intensity when the season resumes, Piastri is unmoved over what it
may mean for their personal relationship. "We're building Waffle
Towers and doing silly stuff on Thursdays [at track] but obviously
once we get on track, then the business starts and we're both very
determined to try and win and try and get as many points as we
can," he said. "There's definitely kind of two sides to it but if
there's tension in wanting to beat each other, it never spills out
off the track, which I think is a nice thing. "It is an
interesting dynamic in how it kind of changes and flows. We've
always gotten on well, so I don't think that'll change." McLaren
has risen to the head of the F1 pecking order this year, having
displayed solid progress across the last two seasons. However, its
position as the undisputed fastest squad in the field has left
Piastri amazed at how far the team has come. "Especially the last
six months or so, it's been incredible – there's no other way of
putting it," he said. "At the back end of last year, we obviously
had some more success, had the championship for the Constructors',
but this year has been completely different. "We are going into
some weekends knowing that you're most likely only going to be
fighting a team-mate [for the win], it's a unique position to be in
and a pretty cool one when you can pull that off. So yeah, it's
been a lot of fun."
