When Piastri and Norris will show ‘true character’ – predicted by Villeneuve

The moment McLaren clinches the Constructors’ title, the true character of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will be laid bare on the track.

That’s according to 1997 F1 World Champion, Jacques Villeneuve.

The challenge between the McLaren team-mates ‘will ignite’

McLaren is in a league of its own this season as team Woking team races towards the championship double, which would be a first for the team since 1998.

The team looks set to do with a 1-2 in the Drivers’ standings, with Oscar Piastri nine points up on Lando Norris as F1 broke for its annual summer break.

Achieving their seventh 1-2 of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and their fourth on the trot, the team-mates pulled clear of third-placed Max Verstappen, who dropped 88 points behind Norris.

It means barring a monumental collapse, the title fight is between Piastri and Norris.

Momentum has swung between the driver pairing, but throughout it all, there’s been mutual respect and congratulations between them.

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The question is, how long will that last?

Villeneuve reckons as soon as they’ve guaranteed the Constructors’ title for McLaren, the gloves will come off.

“They always seem happy when the opponent goes better and wins a race,” the Canadian told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“It’s a bit strange as a situation, I can’t imagine [Ayrton] Senna and [Alain] Prost doing the same thing, for example.

“But I think that when they are sure that they have won the Constructors’ Championship they will start to show more of their character on the track.

“And there the challenge between the two will ignite, or at least… I hope so.”

McLaren believes it has prepared the drivers for the eventuality of rising tensions, but doesn’t foresee a fallout.

After all, it is the papaya rules will be in play until the very last lap of the championship.

“I think there may be a natural increase of what could be a sense of pressure because the races reduce in number and every race will become, relatively, slightly more important,” McLaren team principal Andrea Stella told the media, including PlanetF1.com, in Budapest.

“But from the point of view of the team principal and the team, our two drivers and the team have sustained this quest to the championships in a very solid way.

“Over time, reviewing this race by race, we have created a solid racing approach, an approach to which Lando and Oscar have definitely contributed.

“It’s not like the team created this racing approach and now Lando and Oscar follow it – we have put it together as a team including drivers.

“So, I think this is a very robust framework, and this will be more and more important as the marginal value of every race increases as we get closer to the end of the season.”

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