Source: REUTERS/Go Nakamura
[Saba Sports News] 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has revealed that Oscar Piastri’s new contract includes a key protection clause that ensures he will not be affected by team orders during the championship battle. This discovery has intensified internal competition within the McLaren team, adding uncertainty to Lando Norris’s path to his first title. Villeneuve pointed out while analyzing the performance at the F1 Chinese Grand Prix that Piastri’s contract is like a talisman; as long as both drivers are in the title race, the team cannot force him to give way. At the F1 Chinese Grand Prix, the understeer issue exposed by Norris is precisely where Piastri excels, and this technical characteristic difference will become more apparent as the season progresses. More critically, the current driver standings show that the gap between Piastri and Norris is not significant, forcing Norris to fight for points at every race and not rely on team strategy support. In response, some fans have noted that Piastri has an advantage of 0.2 seconds per lap in tire management, while Norris is better at qualifying single laps, and which has become the fuse for internal strife.