"They say he's the best young talent" - F1 pundit predicts this debutant driver will face a tough time in 2023 season

Former driver-turned-TV pundit Karun Chandhok believes 2023 F1 rookie Oscar Piastri might face a tough time against teammate Lando Norris. Norris has been McLaren's dark horse, giving the team consistent results through his stellar driving.

Chandhok said in an interview with Betaway:

"They say he's (Oscar Piastri) the best young talent they've seen come through. So, there's a high amount of expectation on him to see what he can deliver."

Piastri's move to McLaren was the talk of the entire F1 world for quite some time, as the Australian was expected to race for Alpine instead. Since the French team failed to get a signed contract with the F2 champion, however, Piastri will race alongside Lando Norris at McLaren next year - replacing Daniel Ricciardo.

While the Australian driver is certainly good at what he does and has created a lot of hype, Karun Chandhok reckons he will be thrown into the deep end against Norris. The Briton has been spectacular since his debut in the sport and was the only driver outside the top three teams to appear on the podium in 2022.

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Former world champion claims it could get more difficult to win in F1

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill claims the cost cap could change the pecking order in the sport. The Briton praised the new regulations, claiming the cost cap is good for the sport's future.

The FIA introduced new aerodynamic regulations in 2022 along with financial regulations. F1 teams were given a budget limit of $145 million to use for this year's campaign. Hill claims that while the new regulations will require some 'adjusting' in coming times, they are likely to help smaller teams battle the big names.

The 1996 world champion told the F1 Nation podcast:

"This season, the new cost cap regulations, it's hard to remember back to the beginning, when this was a completely new set of regulations. This was all completely new. We didn't know which way it was going to go, and I think it's been a huge success. And we're going to see, long-term, the effects of the cost cap having a role to play and more pressure coming from below, from the teams down the grid who can do more testing [and] more development if they've got the money."

He concluded:

"It will get more difficult to win in this formula in years to come.

If Hill is indeed right, then teams such as McLaren and even Haas could soon reach the top steps of the sport - especially with drivers like Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. It will be interesting to see how the sport develops in the coming years.