Australian Formula One driver Oscar Piastri has spoken about the ongoing battle between him and his teammate Lando Norris for the World Championship, as the calendar moves into the second half of the season.
Piastri and Norris are separated by a mere nine points in the Drivers championship, and while usually this has led to friction in the past between drivers from a team being on equal terms, the same can’t be said for the McLaren duo.
Piastri explained that while there was tension because of the position of both drivers, he was still attacking races similar to how he would even if he wasn’t a part of the title picture.
“There is going to naturally be tension,” he says. “There’s naturally going to be pressure and emotions from that but it doesn’t necessarily weigh heavily on me. I’m honestly just more excited. If I was not in a championship fight, I’d be trying to attack things the same way. Obviously the tension around the position we’re in is naturally going to be higher but I’d be trying to do the same thing regardless of where I am in the championship.”
24-year-old Piastri, who for the last ten years was living away from Australia and his parents to be a part of the Formula One world, has taken on and excelled in a season-long battle against Norris, who many believe to be the better driver.
Both will be in action at the Dutch Grand Prix this week, with Piastri being the consistent driver between the two, winning six races and finishing on the podium on six other occasions, all in his third-ever F1 season.
“There’s obviously going to be tension at points, ultimately we’re fighting for something that we’ve both dreamed of since we were kids,” says Piastri. “But our relationship is honestly probably stronger than it has been from the start. There’s obviously going to be a loser to this championship and that’s going to be not that pleasant for whoever that is but however this championship goes it’s been a good fight already and I think there’ll be a lot of respect both ways.”
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
