Piastri under huge pressure: 'Then he should leave F1 immediately'

Nico Rosberg praises Oscar Piastri for his courage in making the move to McLaren, but also warns the young Australian of the great resistance he will face from Lando Norris.

Norris has shown in the past two seasons that he is a good leader for McLaren. Actually, Daniel Ricciardo was brought in for that role, but the eight-time race winner simply does not come into his own within the team from Woking. In fact, the difference between the two drivers is so great that McLaren has decided to buy out Daniel's contract.

Piastri, like Ricciardo also hailing from Australia, has been designated as the replacement at McLaren but is under immediate pressure as a result. Not only did his departure from Alpine cause controversy, but as Norris's teammate, he is also immediately faced with a considerable challenge.

''It is going to be tough for Oscar to do well there. Lando is world-class, he's world championship material there so it's not going to be easy to go there and do better than Daniel,'' Rosberg said, according to Sky Sports.

Rosberg points to the difference in experience between the two Australians. Whereas Ricciardo came to McLaren with a tank of experience and was beaten, Piastri has never participated in an F1 session before. ''I really think it will be a big, big challenge for Oscar next year to be close to Lando.''

''It's a brave move by Oscar, it really is. It is either he beats Lando or he's out basically of the sport, so it's really, really tough, but he believes in himself. And if you think you're that good, you've got to go for it,'' concluded the 2016 world champion.