Dutch F1 pundit, Allard Kalff, has claimed that McLaren has a superior driver in their second seat – and that Oscar Piastri is better than Lando Norris.
Piastri enjoyed an excellent run of form prior to the Formula One campaign entering its summer break.
The 22-year-old took advantage of McLaren’s upgrades to secure a fourth-place finish at the British GP.
A sluggish start from Max Verstappen at Silverstone saw Piastri challenge the Red Bull driver after Norris stole his lead.
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Meanwhile, at the Hungarian GP, McLaren was accused of favouritism for making the decision to pit Norris first, when Piastri was ahead.
This pit stop allowed Norris to move ahead of the field and claim second place, while Piastri finished in fifth.
If you were to look at the Driver Standings, Kalff’s claims may seem outlandish.
Norris is far ahead of his teammate, sitting on 69 points in eighth place compared to Piastri’s 34 points which put him in 11th position.
It’s widely believed McLaren hindered both drivers at the start of the season by producing a slow car.
However, upgrades introduced last month saw both racers improve greatly in their recent showings.
Kalff’s high rating of Piastri is influenced by the Australian’s young age – this is the 22-year-old’s first full rookie season in F1.
Piastri won the Formula Renault Eurocup title in 2019 before sealing the F3 title in 2020.
He joined Alpine in 2021 and impressed enough to get a move to the McLaren team this season.
Kalff feels Piastri winning three-straight titles on his way to F1 shows he shares Verstappen’s winning mentality.
He said: “They are the same type, they have to fight for it. He [Piastri] had to become [the] champion every time to continue.”
Van der Grint, former head of Bridgestone’s Competition Department, agrees with Kalff’s assessment.
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He says that Norris doesn’t have the same ‘champion’ mentality that Piastri does.
The Dutchman commented: “Norris has a good social background. He had an easy childhood [and] he comes from a very wealthy family.
“There is nothing wrong with that. But that may mean that you are not interested in the last tenth [of a second].”