“Not absolute top” - Expert gives astonishing verdict on McLaren duo

Former Formula One driver Christijan Albers does not consider Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri among the very best talents in the sport. 

The Dutch pundit argued in his De Telegraaf column that a ‘clear pattern’ of weaknesses plague Norris while he highlighted a series of Piastri’s recent mistakes.

The McLaren duo have led the world championship for almost all of the 2025 season and have 13 race wins between them this season.

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McLaren pair have not got ‘maximum’ out of the season

Albers argued that the McLaren pair should have had a ‘much greater’ lead over Max Verstappen in the world championship.

He said: "Operationally, in my opinion, quite a few things are going wrong there, and in my opinion the drivers are not getting the maximum out of it.

“That doesn't mean Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are bad drivers. But I don't think they belong to the absolute top."

Albers has stated that alongside fellow Dutchman Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and George Russell are the other standout performers in F1 right now.

Max Verstappen, winner of 2025 Italian GP - Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

Norris and Piastri weaknesses listed

Albers argued that Norris is prone to mistakes and lacks consistency.

“He often starts well, but then regularly collapses. You can see this regularly in qualifying. If Verstappen drives a good first lap in Q3, Norris gets nervous and makes mistakes."

Albers also commented on Piastri and his reputation for being a cool and assured driver.

He said: “[People say that] he's such a cool guy. But that's mainly about his demeanour.

“In Baku he had two accidents plus a false start, and in Singapore I didn't think he was particularly strong either.”

Entering the final rounds, Norris leads Piastri by a single points in the drivers' standings. Verstappen remains in third place, and is closer to the title than he was at the Circuit of the Americas. The Dutchman trails Norris by 36 points.

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