22/06/2025 18:10
Ralf Schumacher has insisted that McLaren has "internally" decided
to favour Oscar Piastri in the drivers' title fight, rather than
Lando Norris. The former F1 driver's claim follow the duo's clash
in the Canadian Grand Prix, which saw Norris hit Piastri along the
start/finish straight on lap 67. Norris' actions saw the Briton
crash into the pit wall, triggering major damage which led to an
immediate retirement. Despite retiring in Montreal, Norris only
fell to 22 points adrift of Piastri, who finished in fourth at the
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Whilst Piastri's advantage is less than
a race win, Schumacher believes the decision has been made by
McLaren to favour the Australian. "I believe that it is now
internally decided that Piastri is the man the team will focus on
in terms of the World Championship," Schumacher declared to Sky
Deutschland . "Lando shows too many weaknesses and makes too many
mistakes, including his senseless driving into the back of Oscar in
Canada. "He has apologised and that shows what a great person he
is. But it's no use, because great people rarely win titles."
Norris 'faster than Piastri' The Canadian GP in general was a huge
disappointment for Norris, who qualified in seventh following
another Q3 mistake. Norris did actually have stronger pace than
Piastri in the most recent round, something Schumacher did hand him
credit for. However, as identified by Schumacher, the Briton's
major problem remains his head. "This is the low point now because
he has lost his nerve a bit," Schumacher added. "You have to give
him one thing, he was once again faster than Piastri. "He didn't
manage to do it in qualifying, but in the race he closed the gap
and was simply better. He still has the speed, especially in the
race. Norris has this sensitivity when it comes to the stress on
the tyres. "In [Alain] Prost's time, one would have said
'professor'. The only problem is in Lando's head."
