Otmar Szafnauer says ‘exceptional’ F1 driver is ‘quite a way ahead’ of 22-year-old teammate

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Former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has admitted that McLaren driver Lando Norris is still much quicker than his rookie teammate Oscar Piastri.

Szafnauer left Alpine after the Belgian Grand Prix this year but has been keeping a close eye on what’s going on despite his absence.

Speaking to Peter Windsor on his YouTube channel, Szafnauer was discussing the McLaren pair and has a reason to watch those two drivers closely in particular.

There’s plenty of excitement around the paddock about how fast Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are.

Some fans would even make an argument that they’re the strongest pairing on the grid at the moment, especially considering their ages and how much potential they have to get even quicker.

Szafnauer was in charge of Alpine when Piastri decided to leave the team and join up with Norris at McLaren ahead of last season.

The young Australian was lined up to replace Fernando Alonso as he headed off to Aston Martin but he too jumped ship before being tied down to a contract.

It looks like an inspired decision from McLaren to hire the 22-year-old who already has a Sprint Race win to his name.

The next step in 2024 is for him to close the gap to Norris who was outstanding once the team delivered their first round of upgrades in Austria.

Szafnauer thinks Norris is still a long way ahead of Piastri

Speaking about the pair, Szafnauer said: “I think to me, next year or the year after will be more telling.

“You’ve got to give Oscar [Piastri] the year of getting used to the team, the circuits with the car that’s underneath him.

“I think Lando is exceptional, and you can see that in the comparison. Although everyone says Oscar did a good job, because he did, I think Lando was still quite a way ahead.

“Not all races, but in total points and some of the head-to-head comparisons.”

As Szafnauer suggests, Piastri did very well this year, but Norris really showed his immense quality as the season went on.

His drive through the pack in Mexico City was one of the highlights even if it didn’t end with him adding to his seven podiums for the season.

He has now matched Nick Heidfeld’s record for most top-three finishes without a win and he’ll want to break that hoodoo sooner rather than later.

But Piastri is only going to keep improving and it won’t be long before the Australian is regularly breathing down his neck during races.