Another season, another teammate, and another bromance. In a sport where every driver is at each other’s throats, especially teammates, Lando Norris seems to be making friends for life. The rookie Brit started with his first teammate Carlos Sainz, famously known as CarLando. Then came the challenge of Daniel Ricciardo, but it wasn’t tough to imagine the two getting along. Now, Norris has put his charm on his rookie teammate as well.
The Brit is a very easygoing and loveable character, but also a respected driver around the grid. Oscar Piastri is seeing that firsthand and is absolutely loving being Norris’s teammate at McLaren.
Oscar Piastri expresses his admiration for teammate Lando Norris
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The rookie Australian came into the sport, riding on a lot of expectations and equal amounts of controversy. Now, almost a season later, the controversy has been long forgotten, and he has stood on the high expectations and how. However, along the way, he was helped by his teammate, who has become his friend, as he expressed in his latest interview.
“He’s got a lot of experience at a young age. It’s been nice having him as a teammate and reference. He’s definitely established himself in the last five years as one of the top drivers in #Formula1,” said Piastri.
🗣️ Oscar Piastri on teammate Lando Norris 🤝
“He’s got a lot of experience at a young age. It’s been nice having him as a teammate and reference. He’s definitely established himself in the last five years as one of the top drivers in #Formula1…”#F1 #McLaren #BrazilianGP pic.twitter.com/rNSuIWNyuM
— McLaren F1 News 🏴🇦🇺 (@TheMcLarenZone) November 1, 2023
He added, “So to be able to see how he drives and see how he works with the team has been very useful for me as well. It’s an exciting teammate pairing, certainly for years to come.”
We always love to see such wholesome moments of mutual respect in the sport. Perhaps this is why even team orders levied on Piastri in the Mexican GP did not hurt as much. The rookie knows there are no ill intentions and they both have the collective goal in mind.
However, this might soon become a problem if CEO Zak Brown‘s prediction comes true.
Zak Brown predicts Oscar Piastri to become a world champion in the future
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Not only did McLaren extend Piastri’s contract till 2026 in the middle of the season, but they also see him guiding the team in the future. One can easily assume that after Zak Brown predicted him to be a future world champion. Additionally, he also thinks Piastri “Studies, learns, and puts it together when he needs to,” which makes him unique.
“He’s extremely quick, he’s very mature, very technical, very calm, all the things you’d like to see out of a rookie, but you don’t necessarily always see out of a rookie,” said Brown. “I think people forget he also sat out last year. He didn’t have much rust on him when it comes to race-craft, but I think he’s definitely showing me signs of being a potential future world champion.”
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WATCH THIS STORY: Lando Norris & Zak Brown join hands to invest $37 million in exciting F1 venture
There might be a new kid on the block, but will McLaren forget their old favorite this early? We don’t think so! However, it will be interesting to see how this relationship develops.