Oscar Piastri’s recent run of succes has not only shifted the momentum at McLaren but, according to former Formula 1 star Juan Pablo Montoya, it has also rattled his teammate Lando Norris ahead of this week’s Miami Grand Prix.
Piastri’s win in China last month and back-to-back victories in Bahrain and Saudia Arabia have propelled the Aussie to the top of the Drivers’ standings.
While Red Bull and Max Verstappen remain a formidable force to be reckoned with, Montoya believes McLaren now has the strongest package on the grid – and Piastri is making the most of it.
“Absolutely, Oscar Piastri has got inside Lando Norris’s head. Lando just wants so much more that it’s not there, realistically," Montoya said, quoted by grandprix247.com
"I think somebody needs to be on Lando’s corner to go to him and say, ‘Just stop looking at Oscar. Just do you.’ At the weekend, he said he felt clueless and like he’d never driven an F1 car before. Then he made those mistakes.”
Pressure Building at McLaren as Piastri Surges
Asked whether Piastri’s strong form is putting Norris under increased pressure, Montoya was clear in his assessment.
“What you can see clearly is that he’s putting enough pressure on Lando to force him into making mistakes,” the Colombian contended.
“If Lando stays in his bubble and does what Lando does best without worrying about Oscar, I think Lando could beat him pretty easily.”
Montoya continued: “The problem is, Oscar is getting too close for him. I think Lando wants to see like a two or three tenths of a second gap where he can relax.
“When he has that, he can push comfortably knowing he has that cushion. But when that cushion is not there, he tries to create a cushion when it’s not needed.
“You can be on pole by half a tenth, or a tenth. But he’s not looking to be on pole by a tenth of a second – he wants three or four. And that’s where the mistakes are coming. They are self-inflicted.”
Read also: McLaren ready for ‘inevitable’ Norris-Piastri flashpointMontoya also criticised Norris’s mindset when it comes to McLaren’s current advantage in the championship fight.
“Every other year when Lando’s done good, he was the underdog. And this time, like he’s defending himself, saying, ‘We’re still really good, it’s not the car.’
“They are in the best car. He’s putting extra pressure on himself. He shouldn’t be making excuses and apologising.
“He should just celebrate that they have the best car, tell everyone that everybody on the team is doing an amazing job, and that we’re winning the races.”
McLaren Team Orders Still Premature
With Piastri now leading the F1 drivers' standings for the first time, questions have naturally surfaced about whether McLaren might soon have to implement team orders between their two drivers.
But Montoya believes it’s far too early for that.
“That would be difficult. I think if Lando had an advantage, it would be clearer to tell Oscar, ‘OK, let’s be smart.’ That’s not the case,” argued the former Williams and McLaren driver.
“I think what they’re going to do is to base everything on qualifying at the moment. They want to score them. They want to maximise the amount of constructors’ points and they don’t want them to race each other this early in the year.
“Basically, if you qualify ahead, it’s yours. Unless something major happens or you go off, they’re going to control the situation until race 15. At that point, the constructors’ championship should be done.”
As McLaren prepares for battle in Miami, the stakes are higher than ever. Piastri’s surge has shifted the internal dynamic, but Norris will be eager to strike back at a venue where he tasted victory just a year ago.
An intense weekend lies ahead for both drivers – and for McLaren’s championship ambitions.
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Montoya: ‘Piastri has put himself inside Norris’ head’ F1i.com.
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