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David Coulthard has backed Oscar Piastri to finally get the better of Lando Norris at McLaren this season. The duo are preparing for their fourth year as teammates.
Piastri has consistently closed the gap since he first broke into Formula 1 in 2023, to the point that he led Norris for much of the 2025 campaign. However, his form wavered down the stretch, and he ultimately lost out by just 13 points in the title race.
One of the closest pairings on the grid, Norris and Piastri finished level at 12 apiece in qualifying, but the British driver prevailed in 12 of the 20 races that both drivers finished.
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Piastri struggled on low-grip circuits towards the end of last season, a key weakness he will have to remedy if he is to become a world champion this year.
David Coulthard says ‘more consistent’ Oscar Piastri could have too much for Lando Norris
In a video shared on the Up To Speed X feed, David Coulthard was asked to choose between Piastri and Norris ahead of the 2026 season. He went with the Australian.
Coulthard is confident that Piastri can now put together an elite season after the ‘wheels came off the wagon’ in the final third of 2025.
Norris is braced for another step forward from Piastri, who had already reached an ‘incredible’ level last year. Of course, it remains to be seen whether the McLaren package is good enough to compete for the top prize under the new regulations.
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Coulthard said: “I would expect Oscar to be more consistent over the year than he managed [last year], and that might make it more difficult for Lando.”
In a separate video, he added: “Oscar Piastri, up until Baku, was the man most likely, and then the wheels came off the wagon. We’ve got to assume that, in his fourth year in Formula 1, he’ll manage to complete the season.”
Naomi Schiff agrees with David Coulthard about Oscar Piastri
Coulthard’s colleague Naomi Schiff agreed that Piastri will have the edge based on his career trajectory up to this point. He has taken a significant leap during every off-season so far.
For instance, Piastri identified qualifying as an area to improve coming into 2025 and then, as stated above, tied Norris over the season. Factoring in Sprint sessions, he actually got the better of his teammate (16-14).
Schiff said: “We might have a repeat of last year, where we had both of them doing really well, so I would say… let’s watch out for Oscar, he comes back stronger every year.”
Piastri has reshuffled his management heading into 2026, with Mark Webber now set to focus on the commercial side. He has brought his former F2 engineer Pedro Matos into the fold to take on some of the coaching responsibilities.
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