Oscar Piastri is in for ‘big challenge’ alongside Lando Norris, insists former F1 world champion

2021 F2 champion Piastri will replace Daniel Ricciardo as Norris’ team-mate at McLaren next season

Nico Rosberg believes Oscar Piastri is in for a “big, big challenge” next year at McLaren alongside Lando Norris, who he described as “world class.”

Piastri, the 2021 F2 champion and current Alpine test driver, will replace Daniel Ricciardo next year having turned down a seat at Alpine.

Norris is currently seventh in this year’s Drivers Standings, 69 points ahead of Ricciardo, and Rosberg believes Piastri will find it tough going to match the Brit’s pace next year.

The 2016 F1 world champion also described Norris as “Championship material” and Piastri’s decision to join McLaren as “brave.”

“It is going to be tough for Oscar to do well there,” Rosberg told Sky F1. “Lando is world-class, he’s world championship material there so it’s not going to be easy to go there and do better than Daniel.

“Ricciardo is a multiple race winner, one of the best drivers in the world, and has found it unbelievably tough against Lando. Oscar is brand new to this sport! All the indications are that Oscar really is one of those future superstars. But I can’t really believe that suddenly Ricciardo has unlearned to drive super fast.

“Therefore, I think it’s Lando who’s just performing like a world champion at the moment, he’s just driving so incredibly well. So I really think it will be a big, big challenge for Oscar next year to be close to Lando.

Nico Rosberg believes Oscar Piastri is in for a “big, big challenge” next year alongside Lando Norris (pic) (AFP via Getty Images)

“It’s a brave move by Oscar, it really is. It is either he beats Lando or he’s out basically of the sport, so it’s really, really tough, but he believes in himself. And if you think you’re that good, you’ve got to go for it.

“For Oscar, if you’re a young driver and you have the opportunity to race for McLaren, and you’re free to do so, you have to take it.

“Opportunities like that don’t come around all the time, so he’s done everything right.”