Lando Norris under Oscar Piastri PRESSURE at McLaren, pundit claims

Lando Norris

Norris under PRESSURE at McLaren by Piastri influence, pundit claims

The McLaren rookie has caught the eye this year and been linked with high-profile moves away

Dan Davis

Sunday 13 August 2023 10:57 Updated: 13:50

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Lando Norris will not be "enjoying" the pressure from McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, according to pundit Naomi Schiff.

The two drivers were hamstrung by the constructor's sluggish start to the year, though Norris enjoyed a quicker start than his rookie counterpart.

However, with the MCL60 now significantly boosted by a number of upgrades, Piastri has successfully closed the gap in his first season in Formula 1.

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Indeed, only costly strategy errors prevented him from joining Norris on the podium at the British and Hungarian Grands Prix.

Piastri, of course, then finished second in the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race, only for his grand prix to shudder to an early end after a collision with Carlos Sainz.

And Schiff believes Norris will be sweating a little as McLaren's first choice.

The gap between Norris and his team-mate has narrowed over recent races

Positive pressure

"I have to be honest, I don't think there is a way that he can really be enjoying it," she told Sky F1.

"I do think it is a positive for him to have a team-mate in the garage next to him that's quick, that's bringing in valuable data to move the whole team forward.

"But of course as a driver, the number one person - as much as they call this a team sport - the number one person you want to beat is your team-mate.

"Obviously qualifying on Friday (in Belgium) was slightly different for Lando, he went off at Turn 14 and caused some damage to his underfloor and therefore he lost the ultimate performance in the car.

"However, Oscar was able to out-pace him in qualifying fair and square. So that's going to be putting some pressure on him. But I think it's positive pressure.

"As much as he might not like it, it'll be good for him. It'll be pushing him to pay more attention to detail. And ultimately when you've got a driver next to you that's pushing you, you become a better driver yourself."