Oscar Piastri is enjoying a solid second season in Formula 1, highlighted by his victory in Hungary a month ago. Although tire management is still a weak spot for the Australian, some see him as a future world champion rather than the more experienced Lando Norris. Van der Garde, however, still rates the Brit higher.
“You know that Lando is fucking good but sometimes he just has an ‘off day’,” Van der Garde tells Motorsport.comat the launch of Heineken’s Player 0.0 campaign at Circuit Zandvoort. “But once they’re gone, he’s simply the better driver at McLaren. Of course, Piastri is brimming with confidence now that he’s won a race. And he’s also making steps. But I still think Norris is the better one.”
Before the summer break, Red Bull boss Helmut Marko noted that Piastri is mentally stronger than Norris. “Oscar is definitely mentally strong,” the Formula 1 analyst for Viaplay agrees with the Austrian on that point. “He has of course experienced a lot of things. But if you look purely at the talent of both, how they drive and how they manage their tires, then I think Lando is faster.”
For now, McLaren has chosen to treat both drivers equally. “That’s their philosophy, McLaren is very much about the team’s interests,” Van der Garde knows. “That’s their right. But if they get even closer in the world championship, they have to make a choice: do we go for the constructors’ title or the drivers’ title? Maybe they’ll have to make that decision in five or six races.”
Video: Lando Norris takes pole position in Zandvoort
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