P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Oscar Piastri took a significant step forward in his development over his second F1 season, but still trails McLaren team-mate Lando Norris in one fundamental area.
In 2025, McLaren has a strong driver line-up with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both seen as potential championship contenders. Norris is a proven race winner, while Piastri is a highly-regarded young talent expected to progress well in his third F1 season. Piastri, although impressive, still had a significant points gap to Norris in 2024, especially in qualifying where he was outperformed many times. Closing the qualifying deficit to Norris will be crucial for Piastri to challenge his more experienced teammate and reduce points gaps in the upcoming season. Despite the close gap between them, Piastri acknowledges the importance of improving his qualifying performance to match Norris and elevate his chances of success at McLaren.
