Lando Norris: McLaren is ready for title fight between its drivers

SHANGHAI (AP) — Lando Norris says his McLaren team is ready for a no-holds barred title fight between him and teammate Oscar Piastri, should they continue to dominate.

Ten points separate the pair heading to Japan, with Norris on top of the standings, Piastri fourth and each claiming a win – the first time that McLaren has won the opening two races since 2003.

Teammate relationships can quickly fall apart when the same team’s drivers are the only ones fighting for wins and the title — a situation F1 last saw at Mercedes in 2016 when Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg battled, with the German coming out on top and then famously quitting the sport just days after the final round in Abu Dhabi.

Norris, though, says the team is approaching the competition with open eyes.

“We were free to race today,” Norris said. “I didn’t really have the pace to really get up to Oscar and he drove very well, so he deserved it. I’m sure we’re going to have some closer racing at some point I think we’re both excited, probably nervous and excited at the same time as I’m sure the team will be, but we’re ready (for it).

“We know that, as much as we work together, have a good time and enjoy ourselves, we both know we want to try and beat each other and show our best, and that’s inevitable. There’s no point trying to hide away from that fact, or make something of it, we’re two competitors who both want to win.”

McLaren’s most intense — and infamous — teammate battle to date was between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1988 and 1989. The pair took the gloves off with their Honda-powered MP4/4 and MP4/5 cars the class of the field, with each claiming a crown before Prost left for Ferrari.

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AP Formula 1: https://apnews.com/hub/formula-one

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