The cast of victories and pole position In five major awards that pilots exhibit McLaren They impose on the Woking team at the top of the World Cup by builders with an advantage of 77 points over Mercedes, their first persecutor. Equality between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norrisseparated by just ten units in the championship, invites you to imagine a close hand in hand among the representatives of the structure led by Zak Brown.
The American businessman guided the team to this present, to recover after 26 years the title between the teams and, in particular, cope Formula 1, that the weekend will retrace the sixth episode of the calendar in Miami. The joint task does not demonstrate cracks, although in Woking they know about the storms that are unleashed in the garages with two hierarchy pilots that press the first conquest in the Great circus.
McLaren is the team to beat and the two pilots demonstrated at the start of the championship that there are no preferences in Woking. “They run with intensity. They run with great cleanliness and are free to compete. I am sure that we will have a lot of emotion throughout the year, also that we still did not see an epic battle between them: I think it’s a matter of time… ”Brown analyzed, about what the pilots taught on the track.
A situation that is not novel, although last year the criticisms won the leaders of the wall –brown and the team leader, Andrea Stella, the pointed-, by Do not stipulate a pilot priority over another. McLaren achieved the objective of imposing himself in the World Cup in Builders, running to the background the opportunity to press with Norris for the pilot crown.
The mentalities of Norris and Piastri are very different, and is reflected inside and outside the clues. The British demonstrated autoflagellation before each error in front of the media and in multiple opportunities, while The Australian does not reveal the feelings that surround him In the victory or after a bad grand prize.
Insecurities, in sport, are usually hidden with the only reason not to demonstrate weakness to the rival. “I complicate my life. I have no murderous instinct As most of the pilots, or most of the champions, because I was not educated in that way: I will do everything I can to win a championship, but perhaps I do not sacrifice my life, ”was the answer to The Guardianafter the visit to Yedá, after the error in which he relegated him to the 10th position in the grid and to retrace a race in which he climbed to the fourth step. In battles with Max Verstappen in 2024, the aggressiveness of the Dutchman missed the figure of Norris, to the end of appearing as an expired pilot.
The friendship and esteem that Norris gave in the youth to Verstappen, just two years old MadMax feeling that a rival check his domain. “You would never want to have contact with a friend, but in the end that is also part of the races”, The Dutch defended himself; in the DNA of tetracampeón there are no concessions in battles.
Lando’s position was much less combative: “If you do not apologize, I will lose your respect,” said the British, offering him a second chance. Driving perfectly and stretching the limits is the natural search for pilots who intend to leave a mark, and Norris is in that search, but the failures in situations without margin stress, frustrate and fail to hide it. “I want to mark the pole, I want to win and I want to be perfect… And I think I have to accept that I will not be perfect and that I am making mistakes because I am trying to be perfect, ”he said in the official podcast of F.1.
The sinking in which Norris falls to adversity contrasts with the tempering that Piastri exhibits, after the top he drew in Melbourne, an action that prevented him from climbing the podium. “The great positive point were the other 56 laps of the race, and I have nothing to demonstrate”, The Australian shot, who did not stop accepting that it was his mistake and not the team that deprived him of reaching an outstanding position in the race in his country.
Starting the 23 points behind his teammate did not discourage him and the accounts reflected him in the following four chapters: he won in China, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and finished third in Japan.
The maneuver with which he defeated Verstappen in the 160 meters that distanced the starting traffic light with the first curve in Yedá, was an overcoming with the signing of the method with which the Dutch intimidates the rivals and a statement about the attitude of Piastri.
“People forget it quickly, but it is only their third season in F.1 and He showed that he is very solid, very quiet in his approach. I like that. Complies when you have to do it, you barely make mistakes and that is what you need when you want to fight for the title, ”he said MadMaxwhich in the statement presented the psychological advantage of the Australian over Norris.
In the preparation and advice of Mark WebberExpiloto and Manager of Piastri, to its represented the soulless image could be framed, although firm, shown by the 24 -year -old. “When emotions are negative they have a negative impact, so I try to be calm and relaxed: there is a lot of conscious effort in it. There are also positive emotions: if by winning the China GP a camera would have focused my face, they would have seen me very excited. There are more things about me that are not seen under the helmet, but this is how I face it, ”Piastri said.
McLaren joined two opposites, and engineer Stella, as the head of the garage, defined the characteristics of the two swords that will try to press the title and ratify the supremacy of Woking cars. “Norris works better when 99% of its potential. When trying 100%, things actually stumble a bit. Piastri has natural talent, attitude and values. It has no nerve reactions, it does not irritate unnecessarily, does not add tension to the comments and does not need to give merits, ”said the Italian, who worked with Ferrari with Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen …
In the Miami circuit, a year ago, Norris achieved his first victory in F.1. A scenario to enhance his esteem and press again with Pastri, the garage partner and at the same time the intimate enemy in the race for the crown.
