Lando Norris Fears Oscar Piastri: “Would Hurt Me”

McLaren driver Lando Norris has had a mixed season so far. He hasn’t had the car to match his results from 2021. But, he has beaten his teammate Daniel Ricciardo the majority of the time. Recently, he has reflected on the season so far, and how it would “hurt” him if his 2023 teammate-to-be Oscar Piastri beats him in his rookie season.

Daniel Ricciardo is set to be replaced by his fellow Australian, Oscar Piastri at McLaren in 2023. While his young teammate Lando Norris has beaten him in 2021 and 2022, it is now Norris himself who is scared of being beaten by Piastri next season.

Lando Norris scared of being “hurt” by Piastri

Talking to racingnews365, Norris revealed how he overcame the problem of under-confidence and nervousness in his first few seasons. He also talked about he’d be hurt if Oscar Piastri would beat him in his rookie season next year.

He said, “It would hurt me a lot, because I want to believe I’m the best or if not, one of the best.”

“You work for so many years to try and be in that position, and you want to beat everyone, especially your teammates.”

The Briton said that being beaten by your teammate is the last thing you want to happen when you’re racing.

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Recalling his first two seasons in F1 and being beaten by teammate Carlos Sainz, he said that he would use being inexperienced as an “excuse.” He said that if that were to happen now, it would be “fair and square.”

Norris reflects on “tough” 2022 season

2022 has been a tough season for McLaren. They have struggled for pace and, to top that, Ricciardo has failed to make the best of the situation. Last season McLaren beat Alpine for the 4th position by a hefty margin of 120 points. Currently, they sit behind Alpine in 5th position, trailing by 18 points.

Lando reflected on the current season and expressed his ambition to compete for the championship. He said, “I’m satisfied with it but within the big picture am I happy? No, I want to win races – I’m not here to keep finishing P7.”

He continued, “Last year we were rewarded more when we did a good job. At Imola and Monza we got podiums. This year we do a good job and it can be P8 or P9 – that part of it is tough.”

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With some of last year’s blistering performances, we expected McLaren to go one step higher this season, competing for 3rd position. But given how they are struggling for the 4th, it seems they are back to square one.