Ralf Schumacher tells Lando Norris he needs to learn how to overtake from one F1 rookie to conquer Max Verstappen

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McLaren driver Lando Norris will be wondering how he managed not to win the Miami Grand Prix last Sunday.

The battle between Lando Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri looks set to decide who will take the drivers’ championship crown off Max Verstappen.

At the moment, Piastri has a 16-point lead over his McLaren rival after winning the Miami Grand Prix.

The Australian became the first driver to win a hat-trick of Grand Prix for McLaren since Mika Hakkinen, highlighting the step up he’s taken this season.

However, the 25-year-old may feel slightly hard done by, given how well he drove in Miami, although Jenson Button admitted Norris was surprisingly positive after the race.

He was slightly fortunate to win the Sprint Race after benefitting from a well-timed safety car that thwarted Piastri.

The British driver did outqualify Piastri for Sunday’s Grand Prix and nearly overtook Verstappen on the opening lap, before being shuffled wide, ultimately costing him the chance to win the race.

Ralf Schumacher has now shared how Norris needs to improve the way he approaches overtaking Verstappen in future, and alongside Piastri, he thinks he can learn from Haas rookie Oliver Bearman.

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Ralf Schumacher says Lando Norris can learn how to prepare overtakes from Oliver Bearman

It was put to Schumacher on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast that Norris continues to struggle to be decisive when battling Verstappen, especially on the track, but also other drivers.

He explained, “What is it definitely is that he’s not capable of doing this, otherwise he would be doing better.

“He’s been around long enough, there are no excuses for this.

“There are simply drivers who have a great eye for it. Max, for example, and Piastri and Bearman, are also great examples of how to prepare someone for an overtaking manoeuvre.

“And Lando simply lacks that and he won’t learn it. That’s how it is and that’s what he tried and that was a reaction of defiance, but he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and that became a problem.

“I say it again, he can’t learn it and it will stay that way. That means for him, it’s only possible [to win the championship] through dominance and if he’s really at the front, and doesn’t make any mistakes.”

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Oliver Bearman impressed Jenson Button with overtaking at the Miami Grand Prix

It’s been a strong start to the season for Bearman as he begins his first full season in Formula 1.

The Haas driver took part in three races last year, scoring points in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, and Bearman’s opportunistic overtake on Nico Hulkenberg in Baku in the final laps earned him an important P10 finish.

This season, Bearman has had plenty of chances to battle on the track with his rivals, particularly as he’s had a few tricky qualifying sessions and needed to make up positions.

Jenson Button was impressed with Bearman in Miami, completing a double overtake at the start of the race.

While Bearman hasn’t gone head-to-head with Verstappen yet, the way he sets drivers up is something that Norris could learn from.

Verstappen might not think he’s in the drivers’ championship battle this year, but he’s proving to still be a key protagonist in the fight between McLaren’s drivers.