Lando Norris' victory at British Grand Prix should fuel McLaren's newest teammate battle

Norris' victory helps him close the gap in the competition for the drivers' championship. Following Sunday's race, he now has 226 points, while Piastri has 234. 

Both teammates pushing each other could help McLaren score more podiums, which could help it win its 10th constructors' championship. However, a heated competition between drivers can create tension. 

McLaren would know. It has had several teammate battles throughout its history. The most famous was the rivalry between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in the late 1980s.

In a story published in October 2019, Greg Stuart of Formula One's website wrote the Senna-Prost feud was the sport's "defining rivalry." It's easy to see why. 

As teammates from 1988-89, Senna and Prost won 25 Grand Prix, and each captured a drivers' championship. They also had several tiffs, including at the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix, where Senna's controversial disqualification awarded Prost that season's championship.

Like Senna and Prost, Piastri and Norris have produced dramatic moments.

Norris collided with Piastri at the Canadian Grand Prix on June 15 but took the blame for the incident. Piastri almost wrecked with Norris at the Austrian Grand Prix on June 29 when his front tire locked and barely missed the back of his car.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown expects them to collide again later this season. 

"I don't think you can get any two racing drivers, teammates or not, who are racing each other as closely as they are," Brown told ESPN's Laurence Edmondson before the British Grand Prix. "Whether it's for first and second and 10th and 11 — they're all on the limit and mistakes happen, so it's going to happen again." 

Brown said he expects both drivers to control their tempers, but that could change. 

Piastri may be feeling the pressure after failing to win his last three races. That may lead him to drive more aggressively, which could spark fireworks in McLaren's newest teammate battle.