Ex-F1 Champion Gives Brutal Verdict on Lando Norris’ Failure Against Oscar Piastri

Former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve blamed Lando Norris' own thoughts for failing to outperform Oscar Piastri so far this year.

McLaren drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (via Motorsportweek)

Lando Norris was seen as the favorite for the 2025 F1 world title following a failed championship bid against Max Verstappen last year. McLaren did deliver a capable car this year, increasing its advantage over the rest of the grid, particularly Red Bull. However, it is not Norris but Oscar Piastri who has become the torch bearer for the Woking-based team. Now, former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve reckons that the British driver is to blame for this decline.

Oscar Piastri has won four out of the first six races this season. On the other hand, Lando Norris has only managed to grab a single victory, with Max Verstappen also having one win under his belt. This has surprised the paddock as Norris appeared to be the lead McLaren driver last year. Many expected that the Briton would inevitably gain the number 1 status at the team.

Looking at the races so far, Jacques Villeneuve analyzed the two drivers. Oscar Piastri’s confidence since the first race is quite evident. While Lando Norris seems to be struggling. Villeneuve asserted that the Australian driver has not put pressure on his teammate. Rather, it is Norris who has got into his own head over the situation. The 25-year-old is infamous for being too self critical and this is undoubtedly taking a toll.

I don’t think Oscar Piastri has got into Lando Norris’s head, I think Lando got into his own head.
Jacques Villeneuve told Vision4Sport

Moreover, the former F1 champion pointed out that Norris seems to be on the backfoot at every occasion. The British driver is finding it hard to keep up the pace with Piastri on-track, this only makes matters worse in his head. Oscar Piastri has managed to build his confidence in the winter break and now races like he is there to fight tooth and nail for victory.

Lando always seems to be on the back foot. Piastri looks and feels like he belongs there. He is there to fight.
Jacques Villeneuve added

Alain Prost Exposes Oscar Piastri’s Way to Free Himself from F1 Title Pressure

Alain Prost (via Motorcycle Sports), Oscar Piastri (via Getty).jpg

Lando Norris under pressure over ‘big shot’ of 2025

The 2025 season as a whole has not started building pressure on Lando Norris. Jacques Villeneuve pointed out that last year set the foundation for the current situation. In 2024, Norris was the underdog who surprised everyone by putting up a fight against Verstappen. It was not a setback that the McLaren driver failed to topple the Dutchman.

However, things are difficult this year. McLaren had the advantage from the start with Norris being the one expected to be champion. Villeneuve declared that this put more pressure on the Briton with the 25-year-old feeling like this was the now or never moment of his career. This only made matters worse when Piastri got the upper hand, as Lando Norris started to feel like he was losing the big shot he had this season.

Lando came in as an underdog last year who was not supposed to win and not supposed to fight for the championship. That was easy. There was no pressure. Then it just builds up. This year he spent the whole winter thinking: ‘Okay, this will be my big shot. It’s next year or never.’
Jacques Villeneuve explained

Certainly, Lando Norris is a driver who does not shy away from addressing his issues. The Briton is open when it comes to accepting his mistakes. This is often makes Norris appear vulnerable. However, the McLaren driver does know what he is doing and where he stands against his teammate. At this moment, it might seem like Norris is on the backfoot due to the pressure he puts on himself. Yet, there is no reason he can’t bounce back in the next few races.

Tags: Jacques Villeneuve Lando Norris Oscar Piastri

#About the Author

Armaan Agarwal

(2628 Articles Published)

Armaan Agarwal is a Motorsport Sub-editor and Content Manager at Firstsportz. He has written over 2500 articles with around 1000 edited pieces under his belt. Armaan has years of experience in the field of journalism, having followed Formula 1 and NASCAR for almost a decade. Nico Rosberg's title victory at the 2016 Abu Dhabi GP against Lewis Hamilton remains engraved in his memory. He started his journey with his own motorsport blog in 2017. At Firstsportz, Armaan provides deep insight into the sport for fans through his special editorial pieces. Armaan has several other skills, including social media content creation, script writing, and debating. He completed his Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communication with a gold medal from St. Xavier’s University Kolkata. Presently, he is pursuing his Post Graduation in Broadcast Journalism at the India Today Media Institute with a keen eye at the ever-evolving dynamics of a newsroom. Apart from motorsport, he is an avid reader and keeps himself up to date with current affairs.

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