Lando Norris’ claim about Oscar Piastri is utter rubbish – and F1 history proves it

Lando Norris said ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix that he sees no reason why he and Oscar Piastri will fall out in a title duel – maybe he should read a book on F1 history

Lando Norris reckons he and Oscar Piastri will be able to fight for Formula 1 glory while remaining on each other’s Christmas card lists. But the Brit is dreaming – and decades of F1 history proves it.

Whenever both drivers in the same team have the chance of personal glory, it always gets tense. We just haven’t had any recent examples. McLaren are top dogs now but Red Bull have been the most recent kings of F1, except no-one is allowed to challenge Max Verstappen’s supremacy there.

Before the Dutchman dominated the grid, it was Mercedes at the top of the pile and, though Valtteri Bottas is a fine driver, he wasn’t ever in the same league as Lewis Hamilton. So the most recent example of a closer fight was Hamilton against Nico Rosberg, and look how that turned out. They had been friends since childhood but the prize of becoming World champion was enough to destroy that relationship.

Before that, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were taking chunks out of each other at Red Bull and, back in 2007, a rookie Hamilton feuding with Fernando Alonso almost tore McLaren apart. And that’s just the last 20 years or so. I’d list off a lot more examples but this column isn’t nearly long enough for that.

Sign up to our free weekly F1 newsletter, Pit Lane Chronicle, by entering your email address below so that every new edition lands straight in your inbox!

Up to now, Norris and Piastri have had a common enemy to work together against in Verstappen. But the Dutchman’s challenge is now fading and both will soon realise that the only thing in the way of their first career F1 title is their team-mate.

Just 10 points separate them heading into Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix and, if it stays this close for the next couple of months, it’s hard to imagine any other outcome than an increasingly bitter and brilliant duel to the end. It’s a team sport to a point but, when McLaren make sure of the teams’ title, personal ambition will inevitably take over.

British former F1 driver Derek Warwick is one of the stewards on duty in Montreal this weekend. In the same week he said Lewis Hamilton “deserves an eighth title” and that people are “probably right” to suggest Max Verstappen should have been banned for ramming George Russell in Barcelona two weeks ago.

With F1 fandom more tribal than ever and accusations of bias increasingly common, how can a serving FIA steward be allowed to share such opinions in public? There’ll be uproar if Warwick is on the stewarding panel which hands Verstappen the penalty point he needs for a race ban after his comments.

From the archive

Robert Kubica took his first and only F1 win at the 2008 Canadian GP and would probably have scored many more had he not suffered 42 broken bones and lost three-quarters of his blood in a 2011 rally crash which scuppered a move to Ferrari.

Fast fact

The Montreal Circuit’s final corner has been known as the ‘Wall of Champions’ since the 1999 race in which three of the four previous champions – Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve – crashed there.

Inside track

Isack Hadjar said this week he’s not yet ready for the top Red Bull team but, with Yuki Tsunoda the latest to flounder next to Max Verstappen, the Frenchman is next in line for a promotion.