Lando Norris has already identified one major issue that Oscar Piastri will have to deal with at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Following his impressive win at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, McLaren star Norris extended his lead atop the Formula One championship table and asserted himself as the clear title favourite.
The Brit now boasts a 24-point lead over teammate Piastri, who led the Drivers' Championship for the majority of the season, after the Australian finished the Brazilian Grand Prix in fifth.
In the next race, the F1 grid will arrive in Las Vegas, Nevada for just the third race ever to be held on the Sin City's infamous strip, driving past iconic buildings like Caesars Palace and the newly-built sphere.
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But before the race gets underway, it appears that Norris has already spoken about one issue that could make it even more difficult for Piastri to regain his championship lead.
Following his recent disappointing performances, Piastri will need to do some of the best driving of his career in the final three race weekends if he is to catch Norris by the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next month.
But he may struggle to do so in Vegas as Norris has previously pointed out that McLaren struggles with the low grip on the track, something that has caused Piastri issues all season.
Speaking after he crashed back in 2023 at the inaugural running of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Norris admitted: "It’s just very difficult, super low grip. I feel like I could drive a road car quicker than we drive at the minute. Mixed feelings."
Across both the 2023 and 2024 races, McLaren have struggled with the cold and smooth surface that appears to suit their rivals at Mercedes and Ferrari more.
Although this will no doubt be frustrating for Norris, who could all-but secure the title this weekend, but it's even worse for Piastri after team principal Andrea Stella explained that the Australian's abilities in low-grip conditions are what has held him back in recent weeks.
“Today, if anything, the conditions saw much less grip on track compared to yesterday," Stella admitted following qualifying for the Brazil GP.
“Oscar has been very competitive and very fast since the beginning of the weekend, but these conditions make things tricky.
“Some of the techniques required to drive the car fast resemble what was needed in Austin and Mexico, and Oscar is still embedding that technique."
“For Lando, in this regime of low grip, it’s just a little more natural to do the things that produce lap time; for Oscar, it’s a learning process.
"He [Piastri] learns at the speed of light, and I expect him to have a very strong race tomorrow.”
Topics: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Motorsport, Formula 1
Ben McCrum