Oscar Piastri has shared the reason why he wanted Lando Norris to be his first F1 teammate

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McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has shown the way for drivers from Formula 2 to reach F1 as the path from the junior series has become more and more difficult to negotiate in recent years.

The previous two F2 champions – Theo Pourchaire and Felipe Drugovich – have both failed to find a place on the grid and that doesn’t look like it’s going to change in 2025.

This year’s most likely champion Isack Hadjar is fighting for an RB seat but even a team with a designated junior team might not have a seat for the quickest driver in F2.

All this does is highlight how talented Oscar Piastri is and why McLaren went all-out to poach him from Alpine before they could bring him in to replace Fernando Alonso in 2023.

Nicole Piastri – Piastri’s mum – was speaking on the Red Flags Podcast about his journey into Formula 1.

The Piastris were left surprised when Oscar replaced Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren instead of making the final step into F1 with the team that had supported him during his junior career.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

It turned out to be a masterstroke with Piastri already a Grand Prix and Sprint Race winner while Alpine struggle near the back of the field.

Piastri has raced against Lando Norris throughout his time at McLaren and the Brit is now Max Verstappen’s closest rival in the Drivers’ Championship.

The British driver is extremely quick but has been left frustrated that he’s not fully taken advantage of how fast McLaren’s car is this season.

Nicole Piastri has now shared why Oscar believed Norris was the best driver he could have gone up against in his debut F1 season.

It turned out to be a big compliment to the 24-year-old, but with every passing race, the gap between the two drivers appears to narrow.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from height and parents to celebration

Why Oscar Piastri was glad Lando Norris was his first McLaren teammate

Talking about how Piastri felt before his F1 debut, Nicole Piastri said: “I’d had that conversation with Oscar, I’m like if you had to pick a teammate, who would you pick?

“And he’s like, well, going up against Lando would be the best move, not that Oscar had a choice.

“But we had had this exact conversation. He said, if I go up against Lando, I don’t even have to get close the first year because everyone knows how good Lando is.”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris could win McLaren the F1 Constructors’ Championship

The gap between McLaren and Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship is narrowing and that’s mainly in part thanks to Piastri’s performances.

Norris has been tasked with matching – and trying to beat – Verstappen as he tries to improve his small chances of winning the driver’s title.

That leaves Piastri in a battle with a completely out-of-form Sergio Perez and he’s having no trouble getting the better of the Mexican driver.

There are only 42 points between the two teams with 10 Grand Prix remaining and Piastri and Norris’s form gives them a brilliant chance to win the title.

McLaren don’t have a number-one driver in the team officially, although Norris has led the way due to having more experience.

However, Piastri could soon usurp Norris as he may end up being a fundamentally faster driver.