Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will not be able to remain friends if they find themselves fighting for the world title, despite the fact that they are teammates at McLaren F1. This is what Marc Priestley, a former mechanic for the Woking team who notably saw the duel between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton from the inside, thinks.
“Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are two excellent drivers who still have a lot of potential” Priestley said. “There is still huge untapped potential between the two, neither of them had ever won a Grand Prix before this season, the potential is huge. They are both in a very good position.”
“However, if they are both competing for the championship next season and the only person standing in each other's way is themselves, there is no chance that Norris and Piastri will stay friends. I've never seen this happen and I don't think it can happen.”
“Since the age of seven or eight, these drivers have dreamed of being F1 champions, and their only competition is the guy wearing the same outfit in the same garage, they become your enemy. That's the reality of the sport .”
“I was at McLaren where this rare situation happens and things get nasty, elbows stick out on the race track. We saw it with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Hamilton, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. “
Priestley is worried about the difficulties that Andrea Stella will have in managing such a file, as Ron Dennis allowed himself to be overwhelmed in 2007: “I have never seen a team successfully manage such a rivalry, which can split the team in two.”
“This was the case when I was working with Alonso and Hamilton. She can destroy the team as a whole. It can happen in 2025. It may be an impossible scenario for McLaren to handle in a nice and polite way.”
Former driver Johnny Herbert is convinced that Piastri has the talent to become champion, and he expects a tough duel in 2025: “Piastri has the right attitude. It's about him and he doesn't care about others. That's what he has to take into a new season in which McLaren will start as favorites.”
“He has Mark Webber as his manager. Oscar knows what he has to do. If he comes out of the blocks dominating then he will be in a very good position, but I don't think Lando will allow that. Lando has been magnificent in his qualifying performance and ran brilliantly again.”
“The competition will push them both. I like Oscar's state of mind. The next big face-off next season will be between Oscar and Lando! McLaren will dominate ahead of Red Bull, then Ferrari and Mercedes.”
