Lando Norris’ Attempt to Make Peace With Oscar Piastri Turns Daniel Ricciardo Into a Punching Bag

Teammate rivalry isn’t something that is unheard of in F1. However, generally, the rookie is the one who’s learning from the more experienced driver. Nonetheless, there have been outliers, like Lewis Hamilton in his first season alongside Fernando Alonso. Oscar Piastri might as well be termed as an outlier in that regard. Nonetheless, Daniel Ricciardo was turned into a punching bag as Lando Norris attempted to make peace with Oscar Piastri. But how?

The dynamic at McLaren with the rookie is quite different. Oscar Piastri in his rookie season has come out with all guns blazing. While the points gap is more than double, it doesn’t justify Piastri’s performance, which has been right up with Norris’ level. Hints of the intense rivalry were seen at Monza where Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris collided, going into turn 1. Neither wanted to concede the position and banged wheels. Fortunately, there was no damage. 

In an attempt to make peace, Lando Norris has come out to praise Piastri as he advised how his rookie teammate has been pushing him a lot. However, that wasn’t all, as Norris took a jab at Daniel Ricciardo as well by suggesting that he’s been pushed more this year compared to recent years. Lando Norris didn’t have to punch Ricciardo like that, but he did. 

According to @TheMcLarenZone’s tweet, Lando Norris said, “He’s [Oscar] definitely pushed me a lot more this year than I’ve had over the last couple of years, which is a good thing.” Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo are both cheerful lads. When Ricciardo replaced Sainz, it was expected that the bromance between the McLaren teammates would be taken to another level. However, it didn’t really materialize and Ricciardo just fell off the performance scale. 

Read More: Zak Brown & Co. Slapped With Brutal Reality Check as Norris Bias Tipped to Trigger Piastri’s Exit

However, the teammate battle doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon despite Lando Norris making an attempt to make peace with Oscar Piastri. The Australian is believed to put the F1 Star under pressure. 

Former F1 driver reveals how Oscar Piastri fares compared to Lando Norris’ previous teammates

More often than not, Lando Norris has come out on top when compared to his teammates. Whether it was Carlos Sainz or Daniel Ricciardo, the wonder kid always had the upper hand in terms of performances. However, Oscar Piastri, the newest wonder kid, is believed to have put Lando Norris under pressure, which his previous teammates were not able to do. Timo Glock advised about the same.

According to @TheMcLarenZone’s tweet, “Timo Glock believes Oscar Piastri can put Lando Norris under ‘a bit of pressure’ compared to what Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo did”

Watch this Story: How Oscar Piastri Has Made a Scintillating Rise to the Pinnacle of Motorsport

What do you make of Lando Norris’ attempt to make amends with Oscar Piastri?