Zak Brown once shared how Oscar Piastri would be key to Lando Norris winning the F1 title

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McLaren have just rounded off their most successful Formula 1 season of the 21st century so far with two titles, and a new champion.

Their 27-year wait for Formula 1 superiority finally ended at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as Lando Norris pipped Max Verstappen to the drivers’ championship by just two points.

Heading into the 2026 F1 regulations, the Woking-based outfit faces a unique, new challenge. They’re the hunted team, while not knowing exactly what to expect from a new era for the pinnacle of motorsport.

McLaren will benefit from having a Mercedes engine, but they still have to design a strong car. Norris will want to defend his silverware, and Oscar Piastri will want a shot at revenge.

Finish the sentence: In his Formula 1 career, Oscar PIastri will win ____ titles

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Piastri still ‘needs to establish himself’ at McLaren, according to Alain Prost, having missed out on winning this year’s title, despite holding a solid lead at one stage.

McLaren are ‘particularly interested’ in Charles Leclerc to replace the Aussie if he decides to leave the team. That all depends on how his relationship unfolds with them over the next few years.

READ MORE: Oscar Piastri has two ‘key’ concerns about Ferrari as he weighs up leaving McLaren in 2027

Zak Brown once shared how Oscar Piastri kept Lando Norris ‘on his toes’ at McLaren

Even Norris was a contender to join Ferrari before he signed a contract extension back at the start of 2024. There was no guarantee that McLaren would be a title-winning force back then.

But he kept faith in them, and alongside Piastri, has helped to restore some of the glory days. They’re not finished with winning yet, either.

Team boss Zak Brown revealed how Piastri kept Norris ‘on his toes’ even back in his rookie season in 2023. It’s the sort of thing that would have elevated his game to a position where he could be champion.

Who will be the next driver OUTSIDE McLaren to win an F1 world championship?

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“Lando hadn’t been challenged by his teammate in the last couple of years on a regular basis,” he told the Track Limits Podcast. “Oscar is keeping Lando on his toes. I think the benefit is they like a very similar race car. So, we’re getting constant, consistent feedback from the two.

“The last thing you want to do is have two drivers, one says they have understeer, the other says they have oversteer, and then kind of what do you do?

“I think we’re benefitting from having two very fast drivers that are very technical, and we do have experience and a rookie. It’s just our experienced guy happens to be pretty young.”

READ MORE: Helmut Marko admits he was wrong about Lando Norris after ‘clearly outshining’ Oscar Piastri

Why Oscar Piastri needs to up his game for the 2026 F1 season

Piastri’s rate of improvement has been steady and consistent since he arrived on the grid as a highly touted prospect in 2023.

Arguably, in 2025, he took his biggest leap yet. But he still fell short of a maiden title, despite having the resources required to achieve it.

The 24-year-old still has plenty to work on before he reaches the top. Piastri hasn’t seen the ‘best’ of Norris yet, and that gives him a little extra work to do.

Now the question becomes how long they can last as teammates on equal status, before one of them has to be shipped out. They got along well this year, but some team decision irked them.

There’s no guarantee that they’ll continue to lead from the front in 2026, and a completely new style of car is going to require some adaptation. Whoever does that first is going to have a significant advantage.