Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri shared about their admiration for each other as colleagues, teammates and even F1 rivals, after a grueling title-fighting season.
Having been teammates for three seasons now, McLaren pair of Norris and Piastri somewhat know each other more than others on the grid. The Brit has been with more teammates than the Australian and know the likes of Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo better, but the respect is there for everyone.
In fact, Norris and Sainz remain the best of friends, even if the Brit has good relation with the likes of Max Verstappen, George Russell, Alexander Albon and Charles Leclerc. He has kind words for Piastri as well, as he has always done throughout the course of F1 2025, even though they were title rivals.
The calm quality of Piastri is something talked about always and Norris has always likened the Australian. “Yeah, there’s just so many to choose from,” he said. “I think what I like about him is just his general attitude of how he approaches everything. Always, I mean, I said it a few weeks ago, but just always pretty calm, pretty relaxed in every situation, stays cool.
“That’s something I admire and I think is something that at times I wish I was a little bit more like. But, you know, everyone does their own thing. You always try and find what works best for you. But there’s still things from every driver, even when I was growing up, that you admire in them, don’t like in them, whatever it may be? But I think also the most important thing is just how you get on personally.
“I’ve always got on well with my team-mates. It’s easy not to. It takes one decision to make everything not be the way it is. And I think that’s something we’ve done well. It obviously makes our life hard as a team because we have two drivers fighting for a championship instead of one, and that also has its complications at times and its difficulties. Allows for other parties to enter the chat more often.
“But we’re still happy that we’re both up there. And I think how we’ve worked together, how we just treat each other, whether it’s on the track, off the track, whatever it may be, is just a good way of approaching everything, I think. Not everyone would agree with it, which is completely acceptable and understandable.
“But I think we both have a similar approach in terms of just wanting to go on track, prove who’s better, try and drive the quickest, but also come off and enjoy our life when the helmet’s off. When it’s just us as people, us as personalities. And I think that’s something that I have a lot of respect for, and I enjoy. I think I’ll look back on it in ten years’ time and say the same thing,” summed up Norris.
For Piastri, the Brit is his only teammate in F1 being at McLaren. But he spent time with the likes of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon at Alpine as their academy driver. He has similar words for Norris and is good friends with him, even though he feels ‘admire’ is a strong word for teammates to be.
“Yeah, I mean, his car collection,” laughed Piastri. “I’m trying to catch up! But no, honestly, similar things. Like, I think it’s nice that we’re able to leave what happens on track, on the track, and be friendly off the track. I think it’s very easy for it to not be that way, and that definitely takes cooperation from both parties. So, yeah, I think for me, that’s probably what I….I mean, ‘admire’ sounds a bit strong in teammates but I think that is a very good strength of Lando’s.”
Here’s Oscar Piastri on moments from F1 2025
Here’s McLaren on Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri
