F1 News: ‘Oscar Piastri Was Better Than Me’: Lando Norris Makes Humble Confession on “Incredible” Rookie Teammate

If you’ve had a rookie season as incredible as Oscar Piastri did in 2023, you can’t help but appreciate it. Apart from the results, Piastri’s overall demeanor in the sport has been highly professional and surprisingly mature as well. Not only did he put up a string of impressive displays for his team, but also he set an example, even picking up two podiums. An example so good he even taught his much experienced teammate, Lando Norris.

McLaren’s media team sat Norris down to have a chat with him with a particular theme in mind: Lessons learned. In the piece posted on their official website, Norris spoke about various lessons he learned from different aspects of the sport in 2023. When asked what he learned from his rookie teammate, Norris was full of praise for the Australian and made a humble confession while highlighting his incredible maturity.

He began by saying, “Oscar had an incredible season. Keeping calm and being yourself, it’s good to be reminded of that.”

“I think he’s been very, very good at dealing with pressure, better than I feel like I remember I was when I started, but I think that’s because everyone’s very different with all of this – dealing with pressure and remaining calm and chilled. I think that is something that I’ve gotten a lot better with over the years – I know how to deal with all of these things much better myself now. I have a lot of respect for Oscar in how he was able to stay so calm in a new environment, in Formula 1, on the big stage,” he added.

It’s hard to argue with Norris because Piastri was oozing confidence and maturity in his rookie season. In fact, his incredible output in the first season in the sport after being on the sidelines for an entire year put him above Norris in the eyes of some.

Former boss chooses Oscar Piastri over Lando Norris as an ideal replacement

Soon after the 2023 British GP, the perspective of the entire grid, especially Red Bull, changed toward Norris. He became hot property in the sport and the Austrian team’s bosses started eyeing him as a future driver. However, for former boss Eddie Jordan, Norris is not the man to lead Red Bull to glory for many years to come. Rather, it’s his rookie teammate.

He first revealed how highly Piastri is ranked among the racing circles by the ones who’ve seen him race in the feeder series and then revealed his opinion.

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.”

Read More: Innocent Game Turns Into Fierce Competition as Oscar Piastri Picks Sworn Rival in Battle Against Lando Norris’ “Best Friend”

“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.

We’re not sure what the future holds for the two potential future world champions. However, there is a lot of respect and both are aware of how good the other is. We now need to see if it pushes them to do better or makes them clash with each other.

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