McLaren boss says Oscar Piastri on similar trajectory to F1 champion Lando Norris

[p]The American told reporters on ​a video call that his drivers were raring to get going.[/p][p][b]"He ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/piastri-oscar/MqKAIeUf/"]Piastri[/a]) is now going into his fourth year. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/norris-lando/WSVABbVF/"]Lando[/a] has a lot more grands prix than he does so if you ‌look at the development of Lando over that time, Oscar's on a similar trajectory,"[/b] Brown ‌said.[/p][p][b]"So he's in a good place, physically very fit, excited, ready to go."[/b][/p][embed guid="803d9ce8-fd42-475d-881f-8340ddfa2fe8" url="https://x.com/McLarenF1/status/2020878163203518559" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Last Australian champion was in 1980[/h2][p]Piastri, who debuted with McLaren in Bahrain in 2023, can become Australia's first champion since Alan Jones in 1980.[/p][p][b]While Piastri took his first win in his second ⁠season, Norris had to wait until his sixth. Both won seven times last year.[/b][/p][p]Brown said he ‌had spoken a lot with the Australian over the European winter break and expected the ​24-year-old, championship leader for much of 2025, to pick up where he left off.[/p][p]He said the discussion had been all about creating the best environment for him and what McLaren needed to do to support him.[/p][p]Brown said Piastri had spent time in the simulator and, in response to a question about lingering sentiment in Australia that McLaren ‌favoured Norris, [b]"he knows he's getting a fair shake at it".[/b][/p][p][b]"You win some, you lose some. Things fall your way, things don't fall your way,"[/b] added the chief executive.[/p][embed guid="a366eb16-8e5e-4903-831a-5a15ee0132e5" url="https://x.com/McLarenF1/status/2020892156576027131" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Pre-season favourite[/h2][p]Brown said Norris' confidence level was also very high.[/p][p][b]"He's highly motivated and it's our ⁠job to give him and Oscar the equipment again to be able to let them fight it out for the championship,"[/b] he said.[/p][p][b]"If we can do that, I think Oscar and Lando will both be in with a shot."[/b][/p][p]Mercedes' [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/russell-george/xxF56RaN/"]George Russell[/a] is the current pre-season favourite after an initial shakedown test in Barcelona last month.[/p][p]Norris can become only the second Briton to take back-to-back titles after seven-time champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hamilton-lewis/tI5Vpe1h/"]Lewis Hamilton[/a], who won four titles in a row with Mercedes from 2017-20 as well as two together in 2014 and 2015.[/p][p]The only other multiple British world champions are Jim Clark (1963, 1965), Graham Hill (1962, 1968) and Jackie Stewart (1969, 1971, 1973).[/p][p][b]"I think ⁠there are some drivers that say 'I've done it. Now I'm done',"[/b] said ‌Brown. [b]"And then you have drivers like Lewis Hamilton and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/verstappen-max/UV3mgeXB/"]Max Verstappen[/a] and Michael Schumacher who go 'I've done it once, now I want to do it twice and three or four times'."[/b][/p][p]He reiterated that both remained free to race and said decisions would be taken strategically as and when they arose.[/p][p][b]"We feel ⁠like we'll be competitive. The top four teams all seem very competitive. Very ​early days but indications that we will be strong,"[/b] he added.[/p]