F1 newbie Oscar Piastri believes he can beat McLaren teammate Lando Norris in his debut season

Oscar Piastri believes he can surpass teammate Lando Norris in his debut season in Formula 1, but admitted he will keep expectations in check ahead of his first season on the grid.

The 21-year-old replaced Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren after spending last season as Alpine’s reserve driver and will make his Formula 1 debut next month when the season kicks off in Bahrain.

Norris outperformed Ricciardo in 16 of 22 races last season, finishing with 122 points to his teammate’s 37 and claiming McLaren’s only podium finish of 2022.

But Piastri said he relishes the opportunity to challenge the Briton in his first season in Formula 1.

“I think so,” he told ABC when asked if he thought he could finish ahead of his teammate.

Oscar Piastri thinks he can beat teammate Lando Norris in his debut F1 season

Norris claimed McLaren’s only podium of 2022 and finished with 122 points to Daniel Ricciardo’s 37, as he overtook his teammate in 16 of the 22 races.

“I think everyone has to have the confidence in themselves that they can win, or if they’re not in a position to win, they have to do the best they can with what they have.”

Formula 2 and Formula 3 world champion in 2020 and 2021, Piastri has long been considered one of Formula 1’s rising stars.

And with Ricciardo no longer on the grid after returning to Red Bull as a reserve driver, Norris will be the only local driver at the Australian Grand Prix in April.

Not that the 21-year-old seems fazed by the prospect of flying the Australian flag on his own.

“I grew up 10 or 15 minutes away from Albert Park,” he said.

“I was there last year as a reserve driver and it was quite an electric atmosphere. So knowing that the crowd will be there, with me as the home driver now. It will be a very special event.

speaking in the Beyond the net podcast Last month, Ricciardo urged Piastri to absorb as much information as possible, but warned him to keep expectations in check in his rookie season.

Piastri and Norris launched the McLaren MCL60 last week in Woking

And Piastri acknowledged that there were no targets set before his debut Formula 1 campaign.

‘Putting up [points and wins] The numbers on my expectations are quite difficult, especially in F1, I think it will depend on where we are as a team, where the car is,” he said.

“For me, a successful year would be laying the foundation for later in the year and the years to come, hopefully, and doing everything the right way from the start. […] Starting good habits.

‘If there’s any result that comes from that, then that’s a bonus.’