Why Oscar Piastri will win the WDC in 2025

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by S griffin

The question is how long will it last? He's bringing the right people in, so you have to say that's a good start

Agree - good start but will Alpine sink into (yet another) carambolage of poor choices & rotating management.

Hope not, as there is a lot of good talent at Enstone to deliver more than we’ve seen so far.

[S griffin]

Let's hope Oakes proves to be an efficient manager. The last thing we need is more changes and instability as you say

[morninggents]

Originally Posted by S griffin

The question is how long will it last? He's bringing the right people in, so you have to say that's a good start

I thought this was a Piastri thread.

Whilst on topic I don't know why this thread is titled as it is as the opening poster gave no reasons to support his position. But no surprises there.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by morninggents

I thought this was a Piastri thread.

Whilst on topic I don't know why this thread is titled as it is as the opening poster gave no reasons to support his position. But no surprises there.

Nor indeed will he now.....

But you're right, the thread has gone well off topic.

So do we leave the topic open and either marvel at the ex-OP's ability to predict the future at the end of the 2025 season or have a chortle at his deluded jingoism.....?

[BTCC frog]

Piastri has the potential to be world champion in the right car, but I can’t see it happening while Norris is his teammate. Norris is just that little bit faster than him and while Piastri is still inexperienced and can improve, I can’t see him ever gaining that tenth or so. McLaren have an extraordinary driver lineup though, and it is amazing that it looks likely to yield a constructors’ title in 2024 given where they were at the start of 2023.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by BTCC frog

Piastri has the potential to be world champion in the right car, but I can’t see it happening while Norris is his teammate. Norris is just that little bit faster than him and while Piastri is still inexperienced and can improve, I can’t see him ever gaining that tenth or so. McLaren have an extraordinary driver lineup though, and it is amazing that it looks likely to yield a constructors’ title in 2024 given where they were at the start of 2023.

I agree with what you said, but I also think Rosberg was not as good as Lewis, and he made it work.

The right set of circumstances for a year and Piastri could take a title against Norris IMO.

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by BTCC frog

Piastri has the potential to be world champion in the right car, but I can’t see it happening while Norris is his teammate. Norris is just that little bit faster than him and while Piastri is still inexperienced and can improve, I can’t see him ever gaining that tenth or so. McLaren have an extraordinary driver lineup though, and it is amazing that it looks likely to yield a constructors’ title in 2024 given where they were at the start of 2023.

Lando has the speed and experience to make it work.
He nearly won at Sochi after Ricciardo's win at Monza so that seems like a decade ago.
It wasn't but he's been around long enough waiting for McLaren to get back on its feet

Piastri is a less emotive calmer person but very methodical and has great management in the form of Mark Webber, who had a very clinical way or organizing his career.
I think he has enormous long-term potential and that this is only his second year in F1.

Give him another year and his game will have lifted an exponential amount.
If the car is good the killer instinct will be there, and he will be clinical.

Like RoboCop

[S griffin]

ATM Norris seems like the form man. He just needs to sort out his starts. But apart from that, his confidence seems to be flowing and his patience with McLaren seems to be paying off. More wins to come

[chunterer]

More wins to come from both without a doubt.

There's very little between them. Piastri had closed the gap considerably this season.

His only real issue was keeping tyres alive everywhere.

For me Norris will need to keep winning races as Piastri is still improving and I still think has the greater potential of the two.

Monza won't be such an issue for either driver to qiickly make up ground if they make bad starts again!

[Skam85]

That was some statement of intent on Lap 1 by Oscar.

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by Skam85

That was some statement of intent on Lap 1 by Oscar.

This is Grand Prix motor racing.
You are on the front row.
You have to make the best start you can and carry on the momentum for the first lap or two and let the field sort itself out.

If your teammate doesn't get it right and you can drive around him without hitting him or taking him out, you do it.

If you don't someone else will, and anyway, it's what you are paid to do. Drive the car as fast as you can.

Seven poles, and in every case, he has not led at the end of the first lap.
Can Lando drive? Of course he can.
But he has a weakness. They all do, because they are all human.
But that weakness is becoming highly, publicly, exposed.

[bathurst77]

mmmm (As an Aussie so Oscar fan)

Given we are reaching the end of the year and that Lando has a (slight) chance of WDC and McL a very good chance of WCC, Oscar has to play wingman/rear gunner. Lando is the only one who can win WDC, but Oscar has to back him, not fight him cost him points or maybe cause either car to crash.

Oscar has all the makings of a soon champion, but not 2024. HE is young with a long career in top teams as long as he plays nicely. He needs to play the long game.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by bathurst77

mmmm (As an Aussie so Oscar fan)

Given we are reaching the end of the year and that Lando has a (slight) chance of WDC and McL a very good chance of WCC, Oscar has to play wingman/rear gunner. Lando is the only one who can win WDC, but Oscar has to back him, not fight him cost him points or maybe cause either car to crash.

Oscar has all the makings of a soon champion, but not 2024. HE is young with a long career in top teams as long as he plays nicely. He needs to play the long game.

Exactly this. Yes, it's good (and normally right) for teammates to be allowed to race, but when one of your drivers still has a chance of contesting the WDC, you simply don't rob him of points. OK, if Oscar had the win in the bag, I could understand it more (but of course that didn't stop the team imposing orders the other way around previously), but for the sake of a second place over a third place - utterly bonkers. I daresay it's unlikely that Lando will lose the WDC to Max by 2 points, but if he does.......

[Alan52]

I agree.Somewhat surprised they didn’t reverse on last lap.Different than if a race win was at stake.
The interviews with both Stella and Brown after the race felt like they considered Oscar’s lap 1 move too high risk and that he might get some counselling before Baku.
It was the sort of move you wouldn’t think twice about doing against someone from another team though.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Alan52

I agree.Somewhat surprised they didn’t reverse on last lap.Different than if a race win was at stake.
The interviews with both Stella and Brown after the race felt like they considered Oscar’s lap 1 move too high risk and that he might get some counselling before Baku.
It was the sort of move you wouldn’t think twice about doing against someone from another team though.

Absolutely! But at that location, just a smidge of non-compliance by Norris would have had them both spinning off into the boondocks, not claiming loads of WCC points. Yes, it was brave and it looked great on the TV, but Oscar knew full well that Lando couldn't risk his race to fight him.

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by bathurst77

mmmm (As an Aussie so Oscar fan)

Given we are reaching the end of the year and that Lando has a (slight) chance of WDC and McL a very good chance of WCC, Oscar has to play wingman/rear gunner. Lando is the only one who can win WDC, but Oscar has to back him, not fight him cost him points or maybe cause either car to crash.

Oscar has all the makings of a soon champion, but not 2024. HE is young with a long career in top teams as long as he plays nicely. He needs to play the long game.

Whilst supporting a teammate on behalf of the team, if the teammate isn’t good enough to keep up, should Mr Piastri just wobble around behind Mr Norris somewhere further down the field?

(Yes, I am also an Aussie..)

[bathurst77]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

if the teammate isn’t good enough to keep up, should Mr Piastri just wobble around behind Mr Norris somewhere further down the field?

Different question.. This was turn 4 (or 2?) lap one. Nothing pointed to lando wobbling around or being not fast enough at that time.

Might have been a bit of "young buck red mist")\

I dont think it will change the WDC or WCC (I hope not anyhow) but i think he might get a chat from Zac, and im sure Lando didnt offer to shout the drinks last night

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Whilst supporting a teammate on behalf of the team, if the teammate isn’t good enough to keep up, should Mr Piastri just wobble around behind Mr Norris somewhere further down the field?

(Yes, I am also an Aussie..)

Wobble around? Come off it. You clearly are an Aussie....

[Alan52]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Wobble around? Come off it. You clearly are an Aussie....

Who voted for Perez as driver of the race.Yes this race.

[Skam85]

Originally Posted by bathurst77

mmmm (As an Aussie so Oscar fan)

Given we are reaching the end of the year and that Lando has a (slight) chance of WDC and McL a very good chance of WCC, Oscar has to play wingman/rear gunner. Lando is the only one who can win WDC, but Oscar has to back him, not fight him cost him points or maybe cause either car to crash.

Oscar has all the makings of a soon champion, but not 2024. HE is young with a long career in top teams as long as he plays nicely. He needs to play the long game.

I'm of the opposite POV.

This season is feeling very '2009' - Button runs out to an early lead, Vettel chases him down and falls short.

Webber was pushing a lot in 2009 also, but the early signs and team decisions led to Webber assisting Vettel's quest.

As we all know, due to being not quite as fast and the team outrightly favouring Vettel, this became the theme of their time together, looking past Webber throwing away 2010 with his Korea error.

Before the pedants point out the differences, it's not exactly the same as 2009 and the Red Bull era following, Oscar is much much closer to Lando in pace but the time is now for Oscar to say, this is not team Lando, this is as much team Oscar.

His move on the opening lap showed that too, IMO. Would not surprise me in the least if that is the advice he is getting from Mark Webber also.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Alan52

Who voted for Perez as driver of the race.Yes this race.

Now that is contrarily amusing......

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Skam85

As we all know, due to being not quite as fast and the team outrightly favouring Vettel, this became the theme of their time together, looking past Webber throwing away 2010 with his Korea error.

Before the pedants point out the differences, it's not exactly the same as 2009 and the Red Bull era following, Oscar is much much closer to Lando in pace but the time is now for Oscar to say, this is not team Lando, this is as much team Oscar.

His move on the opening lap showed that too, IMO. Would not surprise me in the least if that is the advice he is getting from Mark Webber also.

I'm confident you're right, however what Oscar wants to do shouldn't necessarily be the same as what Oscar is allowed to do. Whatever you think of the previous decision, Lando was forced to give up a win for Oscar, which in my book is the ultimate sacrifice by any driver to his teammate but at Monza the team didn't have the sense/gonads to tell Oscar to give up 2 points to Lando - 2 points that were largely immaterial to Oscar?

Who knows who will come out on top here? I still believe Lando is more consistent and is faster over a GP distance. Oscar clearly has the talent and will be looking to get the better of Lando next season, but trying to exert a superiority now, while Lando is the only one of the two who has any serious chance of catching Max is something that the team management really need to sort out.

[S griffin]

I think Oscar might need to think of the team. Norris giving up a win at Hungary might come back to haunt them. However it must be said Piastri was ahead of him on merit last weekend.

There is no doubt Lando still has the upper hand atm, but Oscar is showing he can be beaten in the same car

[chunterer]

Seems to me that Mclaren don't believe the drivers title is truly on?

The constructors, they totally do.

It's probably reasonable to point out that although Norris has more points than Piastri, that's not necessarily down to performance.
LN had a significant qualy advamtage over OP, but the races tell a different story.
Both Norris and Piastri could have,and should have won more races apiece since Miami.
And BOTH drivers have scored highly at certaim races at the expense of the other.

This could be because Mclaren are determined to just keep their in-race options open, or they may have some data that suggests they may have been backing the wrong horse.

Maybe team briefings are too ambiguous, maybe they just want their equal number ones to race. Maybe they would be more likely to.lsy down the do's and don't if or when Norris is within touchimg distance of the title.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Maybe they would be more likely to lay down the do's and don't if or when Norris is within touching distance of the title.

That point may not arise if they don't do what they can to assist it.