Norris is McLaren’s subconscious favourite: David Coulthard

CHENNAI: Formula One is set to awaken from its summer slumber as the caravan shifts to Zandvoort for the Dutch GP this weekend. With less than half the season remaining, the Drivers’ Championship race continues to be a neck-and-neck battle.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri (284 points) and his teammate Lando Norris (275) have been at the heart of that duel, with the former holding the edge. It has been a back-and-forth tussle so far between the two. David Coulthard, the runner-up in the 2001 Drivers’ Championship with McLaren, found it difficult to pick a clear winner, though he felt Norris would be McLaren’s “subconscious favourite”.

“Unless something majorly changes in the running order, it will be a case of either Lando or Oscar being world champion. Lando is in his seventh season, Oscar in his third. In many ways, it feels that Lando would be subconscious favourite because of having been there longer.

“But you cannot deny Oscar’s performance. He’s there not by luck, but by results. It’s really exciting and difficult to know which way it’s going to go. It could go all the way. I suspect it will come down more to the racing Gods, and by that, I mean an unfortunate accident or a reliability issue,” said Coulthard during an interaction arranged by FanCode, the official broadcaster for F1 in India.

What has been working for McLaren, Coulthard felt, is the systematic reconstruction of the team with some crucial recruits. “McLaren over the last few years hit rock bottom and then rebuilt the team with some strategic additions. Under Zak Brown (CEO) and Andrea Stella (team principal), they’ve done a great job of putting together a solid group of people. Cars are working, the drivers are good, and the rest is history,” said Coulthard, a former British racer.

‘Lewis not as quick as he was’

Lewis Hamilton is struggling to find his rhythm in his debut season at Ferrari, with podium finishes proving elusive so far. Speaking on the seven-time world champion’s run, Coulthard said: “The data doesn’t have an opinion; the data gives you facts, and the facts are that Lewis is not as quick in qualifying as Charles Leclerc. Right now, the data is saying he’s not as quick as he was. I hope, however Lewis leaves the sport, it’s in a way that celebrates his amazing career. But I also hope that he doesn’t stay longer than the sport allows. He’s definitely closer to the end of his career than the beginning.”


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