Pato O’Ward says Lando Norris’ McLaren rivalry with Oscar Piastri is about to get ‘entertaining’

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McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have maintained a respectful rivalry this season. That’s a credit to the atmosphere Zak Brown and Andrea Stella have built at Woking.

Norris and Piastri are both going for their first Formula 1 title, and one would expect the garage to be extremely tense. They have clashed on track on a few occasions, but not yet taken any public shots at one another.

Indeed, Norris immediately held his hands up after the Canadian GP, when he drove into the back of his teammate’s car and crashed out. It was Piastri who was deemed predominantly at fault, though, when they tangled at the start of the USA Sprint.

Norris was facing ‘repercussions’ for bumping into Piastri in Singapore – he was assigned an inferior qualifying run plan – but these were removed after the Austin incident.

Pato O’Ward warns Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri that Max Verstappen could ‘eat them up’

McLaren reserve driver Pato O’Ward offered a notably frank assessment of the title battle. Brown and Stella have consistently preached a team-first philosophy, but O’Ward says Norris and Piastri must now ‘go for it’.

McLaren have already sealed the constructors’ title, which gives the drivers grounds to be more ruthless. The problem, of course, is that too much ‘grappling’ could open the door for Max Verstappen – only 40 points behind prior to the Mexican Grand Prix.

O’Ward, who drove Norris’ car in FP1 on Friday, is expecting the rivalry between the two to ‘get a little more entertaining’ in the remaining races. McLaren haven’t had two drivers going for the title since 2007, when the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso collapsed.

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“If I were in that position, you wouldn’t let your opportunities slip away,” O’Ward told Claro Sports. “You just go for it, you don’t care who’s next to you. We’re here to win, not to finish second.”

“What Verstappen is capable of in a car is truly admirable. Oscar and Lando, in my opinion, have already done their part, and that’s winning the constructors’ championship.

“I’m waiting for things to get a little more entertaining between them, and the problem is that they’re already close to Max. If they start grappling with each other, Verstappen will eat them up. So they have to put their heads together.”

Lando Norris has worked out how to beat Oscar Piastri – by copying him

McLaren have been told by some observers to prioritise one driver, which would maximise their chances of beating Verstappen. However, Juan Pablo Montoya says Zak Brown can’t appoint a number one.

Contractually, McLaren can only impose team orders that are in the collective interest. According to Montoya, any instructions designed to help one driver win the title would breach that clause.

Piastri has had the edge over Norris for much of the season, but ironically, the Dutch GP – when he lost 18 points due to a car failure – seemed to swing the title race in the Briton’s favour.

Ralf Schumacher says Norris ‘relaxed’ at that point because all the pressure and expectation shifted to Piastri. Where once the Australian was lauded for his composure in the cockpit, now it’s his teammate who seems to be coping better with the demands of the title battle.