Formula E star shares candid picture of Lando Norris while playing poker on a private jet with Oscar Piastri
Formula E star Sam Bird shared an image of McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris sitting without a shirt, sitting alongside teammate Oscar Piastri on a private jet. Norris and Piastri brought home the constructors' championship for the Woking-based outfit at the season-finale in Abu Dhabi.
The title is the first silverware for the iconic British team since Lewis Hmailton's driver's championship in 2008 and their first constructor's title since 1998. Both drivers played a key role as the team became only the second on the grid to win six races in the 2024 season behind Max Verstappen and Red Bull's nine.
After collecting the trophy in the FIA Gala in Rwanda, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were accompanied by McLaren Formula E driver Sam Bird on the private jet where the duo played a game of poker.
Bird took to his Instagram stories to share a photo of Lando Norris with Oscar Piastri sitting beside him. Adding a laughing emoji, Bird wrote in the caption:
"Thanks for the cash boys"
Both Norris and Piastri played their part in the team's triumph this season and were able to maintain a harmonious relationship on and off the track despite some moments of tension and indecision over team orders in Hungary, Brazil, and Monza.
McLaren team boss gives his take on managing Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in 2025
McLaren CEO Zak Brown said it would be a "challenge" in the 2025 season to manage Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, given the two drivers' competitive nature.
Speaking with Sky Sports, the American said despite being two strong drivers, only one of them could finish at the top. He said:
"Only one of them can finish first in any weekend. They're great team-mates, they're great team players - I think we saw that come through again in Qatar when we told Lando that he didn't need to swap positions, and he insisted that he owed his team-mate one. So those are the types of team-mates they are. Of course, come showtime they both want to win, but they race each other cleanly."
He added:
"I'm sure it will be a challenge at times, but we'll just take it one race at a time. What we do is treat everyone fairly, equally, and transparently, so there are no surprises. So, we'll just see how the season unfolds and hopefully, we have the challenge of two drivers fighting for the same Drivers' Championship at the last race of the year."
Norris and Piastri found themselves at close quarters on the track quite often during the 2024 season. The British driver mostly had the measure of Piastri in both the races and qualifying this year.