Piastri reveals how Norris influenced historic season

Oscar Piastri has said that his team-mate Lando Norris has given him the confidence to succeed in F1 and meet the huge expectations set on him at the start of the season.

The Australian spoke with F1.com about being award Rookie of the Year for his efforts in 2023, with many stating his debut campaign was the best since Lewis Hamilton’s in 2007.

McLaren struggled in the first half of the season with an underdeveloped car, but after the upgrades came to the car at the Austrian Grand Prix, Piastri and Norris were propelled from backmarkers to regular podium contenders.

The rookie finished the season ninth in the standings with 97 points, achieving two podium finishes and victory in the Sprint race in Qatar, helping the team beat Aston Martin to fourth in the constructors’ championship.

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Piastri: Norris has been the benchmark

It’s safe to say that the 22-year-old met the expectations going into the season following an impressive junior career and he saidthat his team-mate has given him the confidence to compete in F1.

“A lot of it [confidence] – for right or wrong – comes from results and I think all it takes sometimes is one good result and then you’ve got the belief that you can do it,” he explained.

“For me, I've always tried to not look at the results, and go on how I've felt things have gone and how well I think I’ve driven.

“In F1 there's only your team mate that you can directly compare to, and Lando [Norris] has been a very good benchmark. So, in some ways, at the start anyway, seeing how I fared was a bit of a measuring stick for myself.

“That's probably been the thing that's given me the confidence and then the results later in the year as well. But also, just simply knowing that I can mix it with these guys and now that I’m here with McLaren for another three years at least, all of those things help your confidence."

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