Oscar Piastri compared himself to a four-time Formula One world champion when discussing his title fight with Lando Norris.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are locked in a teammate title fight at the summer break. Eight points separate the McLaren pair after Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix with a bold strategy call.
The title fight is heating up between Norris and Piastri. Piastri looked to have the edge over Norris, but the Brit won three of the last four races, two of which featured intense wheel-to-wheel racing.
When talking about his approach to the fight with Norris, Piastri compared himself to a four-time world champion.
Oscar Piastri talks about Alain Prost comparisons, ‘I see it…’
At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, four-time world champion with McLaren and Williams, Alain Prost, said he sees himself in Piastri. He said, “I like the way he behaves. It’s a little like me. Thinking about when to do the right manoeuvre for overtaking and being a little bit more clever.”
Like Piastri, Prost engaged in title fights with his teammate, Ayrton Senna, which became one of the most heated rivalries in the sport’s history.
Senna and Prost crashed in consecutive years in Japan to decide championships, but for the most part, Prost’s style was methodical. That earned him the nickname “The Professor”.
Piastri responded to Prost’s comments in an interview with Autosport, saying, “It’s very cool coming from Alain. I’ve had that comparison from a few people with Prost.
“I see it in some ways. It was different back in the day. A lot more reliability concerns, a lot more driver-induced reliability issues as well, so in some ways it’s quite different.
“But overall, the mentality is the same: trying to be consistent. When you’re fighting for first and second, it’s a seven-point difference, but if you don’t finish the race, it’s potentially 18 or 25 points you lose.
“You do still have to make sure you finish the races, be consistent and not take unnecessary risks. I think that side of things is still the same.”
Stage set for another classic McLaren teammate rivalry
Senna and Prost’s McLaren rivalry is legendary. So much so, it’s still discussed today as one of the most heated teammate fights in F1 history, between two all-time great drivers. The stage is set for Norris and Piastri to follow in their footsteps.
The pair have crashed already. At the Canadian Grand Prix, Norris crashed into the back of Piastri while attempting an overtake on the pit straight. Piastri has come close to doing the same, locking up in Austria and Hungary and narrowly avoiding the back of Norris’ car.
Hungary saw an early sign of a turn in the relationship between the pair. Piastri said on the radio he only wanted to beat Norris and didn’t care about the race win. Norris ended up winning the race, and Piastri was visibly upset.
| Position | Drivers' Championship | Points |
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | 284 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | 275 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | 187 |
| 4 | George Russell | 172 |
The drivers may be on good terms now, but as the title fight continues into the final few races, all of that could change. These are two of the best drivers on the grid who both expect to win this championship.
Martin Brundle said that Piastri’s cool head could help him down the stretch, and Prost agrees. Let’s see how cool that head stays when the pressure heats up.