Oscar Piastri is having a sensational rookie season for McLaren in 2023. He has taken the Formula 1 world by storm and keeps getting better every race. Lando Norris had already admitted that Oscar Piastri pushes him more than Daniel Ricciardo. Recently, Piastri spoke about him getting upgrades later than Lando Norris. McLaren Boss Andrea Stella explained the ‘Human Factor’ behind it.
One Race Late
Whenever McLaren has had a big upgrade package, Oscar Piastri has had to wait one race more than Lando Norris. McLaren delivered their first big upgrade in Austria, only for Lando. Lando finished 4th in that race, while Oscar languished in P16. At the next race at Silverstone, both McLaren drivers had the upgrades. Lando finished 2nd and Oscar finished 4th, which would’ve been 3rd if not for an ill-timed safety car.
McLaren again brought a significant upgrade to Singapore. Lando Norris got them first and finished 2nd, while Oscar Piastri recovered to 7th. At the next race in Japan, both drivers had the upgrades and got a double podium, Oscar slightly behind Norris.
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Oscar’s Emphasis on Fair Play
Oscar Piastri has clearly shown that he can adapt himself to the car he is given very quickly. In fact, in Japan, he even outqualified Lando Norris. Oscar does feel a little hard done by, but he sees the logic behind McLaren’s decisions.
Speaking about this, Oscar Piastri said, “Of course it would be great if we could both have it, but I completely understand why Lando gets them. But in saying that, we try and keep it as fair as we can.”
Andrea Stella emphasizes on ‘Human Factor’
Andrea Stella talked about McLaren taking this difficult decision between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Most Formula 1 teams usually give the upgrades to the driver higher in the standings. However, Stella focused on the human factor.
Andrea Stella said, “By the time you make this kind of decision, the next action you do you call the driver. We are dealing with humans, they have the same kind of sensitivity being in Formula 1 or in any kind of activity.”
“One important point is that at McLaren, we are in a position to have this conversation with serenity and both Oscar and Lando understand that the team has priority.”
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McLaren needs to make sure Oscar Piastri doesn’t feel biased against. Together with Lando Norris, they have one of the best driver line-ups in Formula 1.
