Oscar Piastri isn’t worried about taking on “Superman” in a papaya regulations era, instead he’s just looking to beat reigning champion Lando Norris to the F1 2026 as his teammate.

And he sees no reason why it cannot or will not happen.

Oscar Piastri targets Lando Norris in F1 2026 title fight

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McLaren won the F1 2025 Drivers’ title with Lando Norris behind the wheel last season when the Briton overturned his deficit to Piastri to surge ahead. While Piastri struggled on the low-grip tracks in the latter part of the season, Norris finally shrugged aside his hoodoos and came to the fore.

Winning in Mexico and Brazil, the latter being Norris’ most dominant win, the Briton took the lead in the standings and all he had to do was, easier said than done, stay ahead in the final three races.

Despite Norris and Piastri’s DSQs in Las Vegas, the Briton needed just a P4 and P3 to beat Max Verstappen to the title by two points while Piastri was the big loser – DSQ, P2, P3 putting him 11 points down.

But he was quick to shrug it off, refusing to blame questionable McLaren team orders.

Instead the Australian is focusing on the F1 2026 season with new optimism that this could be his year.

“I expect that we will both be allowed to race hard and fairly and do our very best, both on a personal level and team level,” he told Pole Position.

“I am sure that there will be discussions and natural evolution as things get tweaked as they have done since I joined the team, but I think the basis will be the same.

Speaking specifically about Norris, he added: “For me, he’s obviously had a great season … and he’s a deserving champion, but he’s still Lando Norris.

“It’s not like he’s become Superman!”

Although it was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who showed the better pace in the final test, and the better launches, rivals reckon Mercedes were holding something back.

“Mercedes,”said Piastri, “seem reasonably confident about the development of the engine and we, as a team, feel positive but the real litmus test is going to be Melbourne,

“Until every team shows their cards and unleashes the true potential of their cars, it is a guessing game.

“Yes, there is absolutely the chance that some teams might develop original ideas and start strong. Changes in regulation allow
that opportunity.”

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