McLaren chief Zak Brown claims rookie Oscar Piastri ‘very determined’ to succeed alongside ‘veteran’ Lando Norris

McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently stated that new signing Oscar Piastri is eager to achieve success for the team while driving alongside Lando Norris.

Piastri moved to McLaren at the end of the 2022 season when he replaced Daniel Ricciardo, who has since joined Red Bull Racing as their reserve and simulator driver. The Australian rookie is a former Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion and joins the Woking-based outfit with high expectations.

Zak Brown, in an open letter, welcomed Piastri to the team and expressed his excitement at having the 'best young driver line-up' on the F1 grid. He said:

"I’m very excited to welcome our rookie Oscar Piastri to our F1 team. The Australian comes to McLaren with an impressive CV, having won both the Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships. In the short time he has had to integrate with our team personnel in the factory, Oscar has already shown his commitment to us and is very determined to succeed on the race track."

He added:

"Partnered with our ‘veteran’ Lando Norris, I’m in no doubt we have the best young driver line-up in Formula 1."

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Lando Norris believes Oscar Piastri is ‘opposite’ of former McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo

McLaren driver Lando Norris recently pointed out the differences between his new teammate Oscar Piastri and his former teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

Norris and Ricciardo were teammates at the British team for two seasons - 2021 and 2022. Despite guiding the team to their first one-two finish in a decade in 2021, it was a relatively unsuccessful partnership that saw Norris finish comfortably ahead of Ricciardo in both seasons.

Speaking to RacingNews365 about Piastri, Norris stated that the young Australian was a lot quieter when compared to his older compatriot Ricciardo. He said:

"Oscar's 11 [or] 10 years younger than Daniel, but he's quiet. I think he's a little bit of the opposite of Daniel at the minute. Of course, it's his first year in Formula 1, so there's a lot of pressure."

Piastri has impressed Lando Norris in the short time they've spent together as teammates. The Briton stated that he is looking forward to working alongside the 21-year-old, saying:

"It's still a big moment [for him to be making his debut]. I feel like I'm talking like I'm super experienced, I guess I'm in my fifth year now. But it's a big moment for him, so I'm sure he looks forward to it. He's been doing a good job for the whole team. [He's] been getting some good laps in and giving good feedback. [He's a] lovely guy and we've been getting on well so far, so [I] look forward to it."