Nod’s as good as a Winx it’ll be a two-horse Formula One race

Is the rivalry between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri about to match that of legendary McLaren duo of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna?

McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri drives during the first practice session of the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit Picture: AFP

I’m imagining Oscar Piastri behind the wheel of a normal car on a regular Melbourne street, slowed by a traffic snarl, rolling his eyes, sucking his teeth, tapping his foot, honking his horn, desirous of his preferred speed of 330km/h. Because once a bloke has let rip in a serpentine Formula One vehicle, how does he revert to the slowness of suburbia en route to the corner shop for his milk, eggs, kombucha and latest sparkling edition of the national broadsheet newspaper?

“Well, it’s actually very easy to differentiate between the two worlds,” Piastri grins as though it’s the daftest question he’s ever heard in his life. “If you’re in a nicer car, yes, it can be tempting to put your foot down, no matter where you are, but it’s incredible how quickly you get to the speed limit in a fast car. So you keep yourself in check. It’s not like you’re desperate to overtake everyone and get to the super­market first. You’re not racing. I try to keep things sensible.”

Piastri turns 24 on Sunday and he will try to keep things sensible. There may not be a more sensible young man in this world. He’ll blow out his birthday candles before attempting to blow McLaren teammate Lando Norris out of the water at the Japanese Grand Prix. This year’s drivers’ championship is a two-horse race and both mules are McLaren MCL39s. Norris calls the suggestion “crap”, but through these binoculars it’s like Winx ­racing against Winx with a couple of different jockeys on board.

I reckon Piastri will beat his slightly flaky English stablemate to the crown, becoming Australia’s first F1 world champion since Alan Jones in 1980 and our most admired athlete since the quietly spoken, down-to-earth and delightfully sensible Ash Barty won Wimbledon and made everyone swoon with her charming speech on Centre Court. Barring mishaps and melodrama, Piastri has every car except the other Winx covered, including the Red Bull of four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

Piastri with girlfriend Lily Zneimer at Suzuka Picture: Getty ImagesLando

“Lando is obviously in the same car as me. It’s a strong car and I know that Lando is a very strong teammate,” Piastri says before letting rip at the thrill-a-minute Suzuka Circuit. “Max is obviously an incredibly strong driver as well, so to pick one is very difficult, but I think just because we have the same car, probably Lando is the biggest threat.”

Piastri versus Norris. Rocket ship MCL39 versus rocket ship MCL39. Winx versus Winx. Captain Sensible trails Norris by 10 points on the standings. Winners of each F1 event grab 25 points. Three races will be staged in the next three breathless weeks. ­Piastri may be out in front by the end of the month.

“I want to try and reverse the gap we have but with 22 races to go, it would be a pretty stressful year if you’re worrying about the gap already,” Piastri says. “It’s just trying to make sure I execute the best I can every weekend. I feel like the first two weekends of the year have been good examples of that. If you keep doing that, then the points will naturally take care of themselves. I’ve been happy with how the season’s been going so far.”

Piastri spun out like a 1960s hippy to finish eighth at the Australian Grand Prix. He won the Chinese Grand Prix in masterful, sensible fashion. “I said in pre-­season that I didn’t feel like there was necessarily a whole lot left in my weaknesses as a driver,” he says. “It was about making sure that the slips along the way were filled in. There’s been a very small sample size this year, only two races, but I’ve been happy, especially on one track (Shanghai) that I struggled at a lot. The performance was so different 12 months later. Trying to maintain that level of performance is what’s going to be important.”

Lando Norris leaves the pits at Suzuka ahead of first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix Picture: AP

Anyone remember Newcastle’s Darren Albert chasing and catching North Sydney’s Matt Sears in the ARL’s 1997 semi-final? At the Australian GP, with 130,000 rain-soaked spectators roaring him home, Piastri was mowing down Norris like Albert in pursuit of Sears … he’ll take his legs out … bundle him into touch … only to come a cropper … but ­Norris knows his biggest danger to the world title is the bloke on the other Winx.

“It’s our first time that we are really going head-to-head,” Norris says. “I’m sure there’s going to be a lot more instances where we’re battling or racing against each other. It’s round three now, we’ve only done two races. So many things can happen, I’m sure there’s going to be plenty of trickier or tougher times. We acknowledge this and we’re ready for it.”

Asked if he’d preferred to be duking it out with Captain Sensible or a rival from a different garage, Norris says: “I’m not too fussed. The good thing about having the guy you’re competing with in the same team is that you can see everything they’re doing. I can see what he does and how he does it. Trying to do what he does is not always easy, and I’m sure it’s the same the other way around. It’s not always an easy task but at least I have that knowledge. When they’re in another team, sometimes you don’t have those bits of knowledge, so at the end of the day, I don’t mind. I’m ready to ­battle whoever it is.”

Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in Australia in 1988 Picture: AFP

Let’s keep things sensible. It’s daft to already liken Piastri’s rivalry with Norris to the exalted duels between Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in the 2010s, or the stoushes between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, who were McLaren teammates in the 1980s.

“They’re good examples, they’re nice people to be compared to, but I don’t think we’ve probably got quite to that stage yet,” Norris says. “We want to beat each other but we’re also teammates, so it’s not an easy dynamic. I think the people who say the ‘unbeatable’ stuff … it’s just nonsense. They just like to talk crap sometimes. It’s your job as the media to figure out these things, I think, and not just listen to what everyone says and write what they say. I can just say a load of crap and you write it down, but it’s up to you, I think, to get across the facts of what is true and not just write the nonsense that people like to say.”

Understood. I write down what he says … and I still think the Winxes are unbeatable.

‘Told you’ Tsunoda is taking the Red Bull by the horns

Yuki Tsunoda prepares for his debut with Red Bull Racing Picture: Getty Images

Yuki “I Told You So” Tsunoda and Max Verstappen have started awkwardly as Red Bull Racing teammates.

Word around the sparkling mineral water coolers at the Japanese Grand Prix is that they completely distrust each other.

Tsunoda views Verstappen as secretive, and Verstappen regards Tsunoda as a threat. Interactions are shallow and cursory.

There ain’t nothing bigger at Suzuka than Tsunoda’s tsunami-like debut for Red Bull.

A volatile, emotional Japanese fan favourite representing a big team on home soil – this GP is bonkers at the best of times, with folks hanging from the rafters, wearing crazy fancy dress costumes, carrying on like it’s a hedonistic music festival. With Tsunoda on the big stage, the volume and atmosphere is dialled up to 11.

The driver’s reaction to his promotion to Red Bull from the piddling little L-plate Racing Bulls team resembles Mark Waugh’s response to his Test cricket debut.

He reckons they should have picked him years ago.

“It can’t get crazier than this situation,” he says.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of pressure from Red Bull, this home Grand Prix, but I think the only thing I can do is enjoy it.

“If I feel 100 per cent comfortable with the car, and understand the car, I think the result will come automatically.

“ I just can’t wait to get on the track as soon as possible. I’m sure it won’t be easy. It’s very time-limited with the on-track sessions, but I just have to do as much as possible to give the feedback and make it work.

“For now, I’m feeling pretty good confidence.”

Tsunoda has become “I’ll Tell You Nothing” Verstappen’s teammate after the demotion of Liam Lawson, whose first two disastrous results rival Chris Lewis’s 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 loss to John McEnroe in the 1983 Wimbledon final for red-faced moments in New Zealand sport.

Lawson is back on his L-plates at Racing Bulls while Tsunoda assumes the hottest of hot seats in F1.

All of Verstappen’s teammates end up going kaput.

“I love this challenge. I love adventure,” Tsunoda says.

“It’s a bit unknown until I hit the track with Max, but I’m sure it will be challenging, that’s for sure. He’s currently the greatest driver in the world, and we all know that he’s good, but I will just build up my pace and learn as much as possible from him.”

The thrill of watching Tsunoda at Red Bull is his clear intent to beat Verstappen.

The Dutchman is understood to be less than entirely forthcoming about the nuances of their RB21s. His former teammates in the post-Daniel Ricciardo era, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez and Lawson, have carried the air of overawed apprentices.

Tsunoda struts around like a prized, uppity pony. He’s outspoken and passionate. His first real test will be in Saturday’s qualifying session. If he claims a better place on the grid than Verstappen … like Waugh making a ton on Test debut … he told you so!

“To be as close as possible to Max is quite difficult,” Tsunoda says.

“At the same time, I’ll do my best. All the time I’m feeling confident with that.

“I know I can do it. I’m not really thinking about the podium because it’s a completely different car and there are only three sessions before qualifying, and I’m sure this beast in the Red Bull car is really hard to handle.

With limited time, it won’t be easy. I just want to feel the car. If I finish in the top 10, I’ll be satisfied for now. That’s my main target.”