Lando Norris makes firm Oscar Piastri claim as title fight heats up

Lando Norris has explained why he is not surprised by the upturn in form from McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in 2025 as they battle for the title. 

Although Piastri won two races in 2024, Norris was the better McLaren driver, especially in qualifying, holding a significant advantage over the second-year Australian. 

In 2025, following nine grands prix and two Sprint qualifying sessions, Piastri leads 7-4, with an average advantage in these 11 sessions of 0.125s. 

Piastri has won five grands prix to Norris's two, plus the Miami Sprint, and leads by 10 points going in the Canadian GP in the first intra-McLaren fight for the drivers' title since Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in 2007. 

Addressing the big step forward taken by the largely unflappable Piastri, Norris is firm that he has not been surprised.

"I wouldn't say so, if I was on the outside, 100% I would agree," Norris explained to BBC Sport when asked if he was actually surprised by Piastri. 

"I'm not surprised, because I know the kind of driver he is. I know what he's capable of doing. I know the talent he has, and I guess I see it more than anyone else.

"I'm the guy looking at what he does with his feet and with his hands, and how he drives the car, and I'm able to give probably a more accurate answer than anyone else on the outside."

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Norris on his own struggles

Part of Norris' struggles at times this season has been his lack of feeling with the MCL39 at times, with boss Andrea Stella explaining that the car can be "numb" at times for the drivers.

Norris detailed that problem, and the impact it has had on his performances.

"I can only say how I drive, and what I rely on, and it's very much feeling through the steering wheel, that's my primary source of feelings of how I can drive a car quickly," he added.

"When I'm competing against the best in the world, you need everything to be giving you those cues, the best feelings, in order to be most accurate. 

"If you're missing that little thing, then it's tough to be the best.

"I've had to work on exploring other ways to get the lap time out of myself, whether that's more my feeling through my body or feet, to trying to work with the team on ways to bring that feeling back through the steering wheel. That's all part of the job."