As Alonso’s Trusted Aide Turns a McLaren Fan, Can Lando Norris & Co. Steal a Win Before Season End?

Keep Red Bull aside for a second and we are witnessing possibly the most competitive season in the sport’s history. Aston Martin started the power play with their incredible jump from 2022. Mercedes came into play after their dismissal of the zeropod concept with Ferrari always in the mix. However, right before the summer break, it was McLaren that joined the party as the surprise of the season. The upgrade packages the Woking outfit introduced starting from Silverstone worked instantly and phenomenally. Now, fighting for podiums has become a norm at McLaren and they have been since the British GP. The question still remains, can Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri break their F1 race win duck before the season ends?

McLaren has come a long way from their extremely poor start to the season. In fact, in Japan, Oscar Piastri put in a mega lap to secure P2 and Norris was also right around the corner. The two McLaren men have been phenomenal, and not just in Japan. With Max Verstappen most likely wrapping up the championship in Qatar GP’s sprint race and the track playing into MCL60’s strengths, will we see a McLaren win as early as this race weekend?

There’s no way to tell before the drivers take on the Losail Circuit for the first time. However, they have convinced Fernando Alonso‘s allies of their abilities with their performance in Japan. Pedro de la Rosa expressed his appreciation of the two in the latest episode of the F1 Nation podcast.

He said, “The surprise for me Tom was how quick and consistently quick were the two McLarens. I thought they were going to be competitive obviously but that competitive? More competitive than the Ferrari’s, the Mercedes, us Aston Martin. It was very good for McLaren definitely, they were very strong, and especially Lando was super strong during the race as well, very consistent!”

Read More: Lando Norris Openly Calls Out “Snake” Oscar Piastri for Sneaky Tactics Ahead of Track Challenge

Nobody said it’ll be easy, but if there’s someone after Ferrari to snatch away a win from the relentless Red Bull, it is most likely to be one of the McLaren men. In fact, it doesn’t necessarily have to be Norris as well, Piastri also has showcased is already proving his hype and deserves every bit of respect.

Former team boss justifies the hype around Oscar Piastri and chooses him ahead of Lando Norris in a particular scenario

With the poor state of the McLaren cars at the start of the season, most assumed Piastri was all bark, no bite. However, the rookie can completely change everyone’s perspective around him. Before he even joined the circus, there was plenty of hype around him, but now he is showcasing why that was the case.

His qualifying, not the race which was marred by a few incidents, should be enough to convince you of his qualities. In fact, he still managed his highest-ever finish in Japan and with some inside information from Eddie Jordan, we know “he’s the real deal.” The former team boss went as far as saying he would pick the rookie above Norris if he was at Red Bull.

Jordan revealed, “Way back in the late 80s with Johnny Herbert and he was managed by Mark Webber’s wife. I’ve had that relationship and understood and I thought she was probably the best and most professional manager of any sports person that I’ve come across. So she tipped me off and said ‘Listen I have to tell you this guy is the real deal.’ I think he is the real deal.”

“Full marks to McLaren, they signed him till 2026 because they needed to, because he will be a sought-after driver. If I was in Red Bull and I was thinking of replacing Checo, he’d be the one I’d have in my mind,” he confessed.

WATCH THIS STORY: Is Oscar Piastri Already Justifying His Talent By Performing Better Than Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren?

It will be interesting to see how this dynamic grows in the McLaren camp as Piastri becomes stronger and Norris is put under further pressure.