Oscar Piastri has used Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg as an example that team-mate relationships can change, following an interesting season with Lando Norris. Tension was evident between Piastri and his McLaren sparring partner at times during the 2024 F1 season, which ended with the Woking-based team claiming a first constructors' title since 1998. Norris comfortably had an edge over the young Australian driver in both their qualifying and race head-to-heads, with the Briton coming out on top 21-3 and 16-8, respectively. Piastri spent the majority of the campaign behind his team-mate, who contested for the drivers' title against Max Verstappen. In what was Norris' sixth season in the pinnacle of motorsport, he did lead the British team, with Piastri's results having been inconsistent towards the end of the year. Norris is one of the strongest drivers on the current grid, creating a difficult but welcomed challenge for Piastri. “He’s definitely a tough teammate to go up against,” Piastri told The Gentleman's Journal , “but I think that’s a good thing. You want to always compare yourself to the best.”
Norris battles
Mid-season, Piastri caused positive issues for McLaren, with his pace having been stronger than Norris' in multiple rounds. Hungary was a particular tipping-point, as the 23-year-old's first F1 victory was overshadowed by an initial refusal by Norris to return the race lead to his team-mate. It triggered an explanation to the media of 'papaya rules', which quickly failed in Monza where a sensational overtake by Piastri cost Norris a potential win and several points. In what was his second year in F1, Piastri showed signs of progress, and is expected to only grow stronger in 2025. This will likely result in further moments between himself and Norris, with Piastri noting what happened between Hamilton and Rosberg at Mercedes when the Silver Arrows had a dominant car. “If we’re fighting for first and second every weekend, then there’s always a little bit more tension, I guess," noted Piastri. “We’ve seen in the past, look at Lewis [Hamilton] and Nico [Rosberg], when you’re fighting for first and second, that’s when things can sometimes change a little bit. "We’ve been in a position like that a few times now. It is difficult to have true friends on the grid, because at the end of the day, you’re trying to beat them all the time."
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