Mansell: Norris has momentum to beat Piastri in McLaren title fight

Mansell also praised the team's internal harmony and leadership under Zak Brown. McLaren are again a powerhouse and find themselves with history repeating themselves with Norris and Piastri. Again the historied Woking team find themselves hosting a driver 'civil war' of sorts.

Triggering memories of a similar 'war' in 2007 between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, and before that the legendary pairing of Alain Prost versus Ayrton Senna in 1988 and 1989.

Looking at the present, Mansell expects a close fight but believes Norris has the psychological and performance edge: “They’re going to have a great head-to-head battle all year, but I think Lando will probably come out on top. Every time you win a race, you get more confidence.”

He added that continuous self-improvement is key to maintaining momentum: “Even if you won the race, you’ve got to be honest with yourself about where you could have done better. If you can do that, you’ll improve again in the next race.”

Mansell pointed to Norris’s recent form: “He’s come off two wins. Monaco’s a great win, Silverstone’s a brilliant win. Sadly, Oscar screwed up a little bit, and I sympathise with him. He was unlucky to get a 10-second penalty, but the regulations are the regulations.”

He also noted that Piastri is not far off: “Oscar will push Lando all the way. If something goes wrong with either of them — a DNF or a bad result — that could swing things massively. It’s going to be competitive for the rest of the year.”

Mansell dismissed concerns about team tension, praising team boss Zak Brown: “Zak is one of the coolest chiefs there is, and he is on top of it. If you're on top of something and have already adapted to what’s coming around the corner, there are no surprises.”

He cited McLaren’s driver management as another strength: “Both drivers know where the line is. You saw it in Austria when Oscar was warned not to run into Lando. They don’t want to see that manoeuvre again.”

According to Mansell, the Norris-Piastri rivalry remains respectful: “There is massive competitiveness, but also a healthy respect. They both know they can win the championship and want to do it honourably. The worst thing you can do is win a championship in a dishonourable fashion.”