P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lando Norris warned of world champion ‘gravitas’ in Oscar Piastri fight
Lando Norris has received a warning from a fellow world champion about the weight of expectation he will face at McLaren due to his recent title win.
Being the reigning world champion after winning the final race in 2025, Norris is set to defend his title for McLaren, a feat accomplished last by Lewis Hamilton in 2008/2009.
As only the 35th driver in F1 history to win a championship, Norris’s skills are highly regarded, potentially overshadowing those of his non-champion teammate.
Damon Hill, the 1996 champion, emphasized that the prestige of being a world champion may not always work in Norris’s favor, despite the added credibility it brings.
Hill highlighted the importance of leadership in leveraging the status of a world champion to benefit the team as a whole, drawing on his own experience transitioning between teams during his career.
