Can Piastri hold his own alongside Norris? 'Mental pressure will be huge'

Oscar Piastri was widely praised before it was announced that he would take over Daniel Ricciardo 's seat at McLaren, but in the upcoming Formula 1 season he will have to hold his own alongside Lando Norris. How he does so will be crucial for his reputation, judges Philipp Eng.

ServusTV 's F1 expert sees Piastri getting a lot of praise even before he makes his Grand Prix debut. "When I see how he has driven through the junior categories, like a hot knife through butter, he has a lot going for him," Eng begins at the Sport und Talk programme.

Still, the young Australian faces a big challenge in his first season at McLaren. He has to hold his own alongside Lando Norris, who is of the same generation as Piastri but is already at the start of his fifth season in the king class of motorsport.

"The mental pressure is huge. Everyone is talking about him," Eng continued. He sees Norris consistently driving at a high level and thinks it is crucial for Piastri to show what he has to offer already in his debut season.

"If Piastri can take on Norris in his first year, then everyone will know what Oscar is made of. If things don't go so well against Norris, then it will be difficult for Piastri to uphold his great reputation," said the Austrian.