'Piastri and Norris will crash as title fight tension keeps rising at McLaren'
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A filmmaker with a soft spot for Ronnie Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and above all, Tazio Nuvolari and Ayrton Senna, is also a diehard Formula One fan since the age of 4 (mid-90's). An avid researcher of the past of Grand Prix Racing since before it was even named F1, and with a thirst for knowledge of the ins and outs of the actuality of the sport, as well as for the technical aspects that define it, is a member of GPblog since 2023, where he has put his love of racing to good use.
Former F1 designer for teams like Jordan has weighed in on the intratem dynamics at McLaren, and while he thinks the papaya team's approach is the right one, an on-track clash between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris he deems inevitable.
Both teammates have been running closely so far this season, albeit if Piastri has clearly had the edge on Norris in most races. But when they have race closely, Anderson doesn't see much wrong with it, nevertheless, he does hold little hope that it will remain that way.
"Norris and Piastri have so far kept it clean in their battles this season, but as history tells us it's usually only a matter of time before team-mates fighting for the world championship come to blows," he wrote for The Race.
"Incidents and accidents will always happen and I am sure they will have a coming together at some point in the season. You simply can't race that close to each other for so long for that not to happen."
According to Andreson, it's not a matter of if but when the red mist sets in for one of them. Then the team will have to step in, judges the Irishman.
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Piastri's killer instinct vs Norris' flustered state
"At McLaren, I would say Piastri is more at ease with the situation. He is very laid back about it all, but inside there is the killer instinct that you need to have if you are to be successful in F1."
"As for Norris, he seems to get a bit more flustered when things don't pan out as planned. He has allowed small mistakes that might have lost him one position to turn into a much bigger problem," as he did for instance, against Max Verstappen in Miami.
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However, the sparks that may ignite a potential conflict between the two do not need to happen on track, the Irishman notes."There's also little things like who does the management prioritise when they speak to the drivers? If it gets too blatantly obvious then the drivers notice it and react to it."
Piastri's manager Mark Webber, certainly experienced much of the 'number 2' style of treatment at Red Bull when he was partnered alongside Sebastian Vettel, with crashes and collisions and the infamous 'Multi-21' debacle marring their relationship and internal dynamics in the team.
For Piastri, that his manager and countryman has this background, is something very positive Anderson believes, since he may then make sure that such a situation does not take place and hurt his driver in whichever way.
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McLaren won't get second chances if chaos ensues between Piastri and Norris
All the cards are in McLaren's hands for them to determine their future. And according to the former F1 designer, the papaya team are on the right track. He particularly applauds team principal Andrea Stella's for his full disclosure policy.
"If you think that Norris and/or his engineer was up to something that wasn't discussed when he tried to get a small tow at Barcelona then bring it into the open. I agree 100% with Stella's comments on the subject: bring everything out into the open and hold nothing back."
However, the Irishman does conclude with a stern warning in McLaren's direction. "It just needs to remember that you don't always get a second chance."
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