Credits: IMAGO / NurPhoto
McLaren were the second-best team at Australian GP besides Ferrari, taking home a good haul of points including a podium. While Lando Norris scored the 14th podium of his career, Oscar Piastri scored another P4 finish like Jeddah. Though, Piastri had to move over for the British driver, he was happy to do so for the team’s gain. Looking at the results and the duo’s smooth dynamic, ex-Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins believes that McLaren has the strongest driver lineup. Still, the Sky Sports presenter pointed out that McLaren is likely to have a teammate rivalry between Piastri and Norris.
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During her latest interview on The Fast and Curious podcast, when Collins was asked who she truly enjoys watching, the expert said, “I think the two drivers McLaren. [They are] such a strong pairing. Norris and Piastri are going to really do well. And Piastri in his last year’s season what he was fit to achieve is really good.”
However, it was later that Collins hinted at an approaching rivalry. She said that ‘it will be interesting to see how McLaren manages the strongest pairings around the grid. ‘ With this claim, she may have referred to previous occasions where a team with two strong drivers has always found it difficult to manage.
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For instance, we can have a look at the times of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. During their time together, both drivers attempted to gain an advantage over each other. Soon, this led them to a stage where they began crashing and colliding while seeking to outperform each other.
Considering this, Collins believed that an intra-team rivalry might soon be on display at McLaren too. However, while wrapping up, the former Aston strategist cautioned Norris that he would face an improved Oscar Piastri this year, unlike last year when the Briton had the upper hand.
How Lando Norris and Oscar Piatsri have performed this year?
The 2024 season has started on a much better note for McLaren than the previous year. The Woking-based team has started the 2024 campaign with a double-points finish in all three races, something they struggled to do massively 12 months ago. In Bahrain, both cars were outside the top 5 but showed decent race pace. A similar race panned out for them in Jeddah, but Oscar Piastri got a promising P4 finish.
Coming to Melbourne, many expected McLaren to be quick down the fast-flowing streets of Albert Park. And the MCL38 delivered on those expectations with a 3-4 finish for Norris and Piastri. Nevertheless, despite making significant improvements, the Papaya outfit is a bit behind frontrunners Ferrari and Red Bull.
Considering this, team boss Andrea Stella said that to help the team fight at the front, they will launch its first major upgrade around the sixth or seventh round of the season. According to Motorsport.com, Stella said, “Hopefully, within the first third of the season, we will have a major upgrade. It’s going to be for around race six or seven.”
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Stella’s comments suggest that McLaren’s big upgrade may come during the Miami or Imola weekends. Nonetheless, until that point, the Italian noted that the team would attempt to find some margin in the MCL38.
