Formula 1 is perhaps the most individualistic team sport there is. Every championship-capable team has to make the tough call of giving one driver preference over the other sooner or later. For most parts, the decision is easy as the team has to back the driver who has the capability of winning the championship. If a team is lucky enough to have two drivers of such caliber, then various factors kick in, but seniority and shared history play a part whether you like it or not. According to F1 expert Peter Windsor, this is exactly what harms Oscar Piastri‘s future at McLaren with the scales tipping toward Lando Norris.

McLaren played a masterstroke by securing Piastri’s services right under Alpine’s nose. The gamble to replace an F1 veteran with a rookie paid off as well which we witnessed in the 2023 season. However, highlighting the ‘what if’ of Piastri’s future on the latest YouTube video on the Cameron F1 channel, Windsor discussed whether Piastri would’ve been better off driving for Alpine. After showcasing his talents in the Alpine, he would’ve been the top choice for the Mercedes seat in 2025. According to Windsor, Piastri driving alongside George Russell would’ve been a better option for the young Australian because McLaren has pinned their championship hopes on Norris and there is an obvious bias.

Windsor said, “He’s in a McLaren that is now quite Lando-centric in the sense that in order to get Lando to resign for a long-term. The team is quite sort of colored in Lando’s flavor of ice cream if you see what I mean. Oscar will for sure still get a great car. He won’t feel isolated in that team at all, he’s too good for that, but I think it’s not quite as comfortable a situation for him as it would’ve been if he’d gone in a Mercedes and started giving George Russell a hard time out of the box, which I think he would’ve.”

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

Windsor concluded by saying he would’ve loved to see Piastri in a Mercedes occupying the soon-to-be vacant seat. Will we see it in the future? Who knows! However, until then the young Australian will continue to push his current teammate to the limit and make him extract his true potential, even if the car is lacking in some areas.

Oscar Piastri credited for Lando Norris’s incredible performances in 2023

The McLaren men were absolutely brilliant in 2023, especially in the second half. The upgrades put the Papaya team on the right track and Norris & Piastri put the car on the podium on multiple occasions. Credit where credit is due. Apart from the potential of the car and Norris & Piastri’s racing prowess, it was, according to Martin Brundle, the intra-team rivalry that brought the best out of the two.

“Oscar Piastri has really sharpened Lando Norris up, and Lando had to get on with that a little bit because Piastri turned up as a rookie delivering the high speeds through the really challenging corners, delivering some amazing results,” Brundle explained. “I think that’s really driven both drivers on and probably just what Lando needed because, in the second half of the season, Lando Norris has been outstanding,” concluded Brundle.

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So apart from the challenge of getting an equal foothold in the team as Norris, Piastri is at least doing what the team expects out of him, which is to give his best and challenge his teammate. At what point does the team interfere, we will find out in the coming season.