Ex-F1 Driver Declares Oscar Piastri Is “Seven or Eight Seconds” Slower Than Lando Norris

Juan Pablo Montoya boldly claims that Oscar Piastri is over seven or eight seconds slower than Lando Norris at McLaren.

Ex-F1 Driver Declares Oscar Piastri Is “Seven or Eight Seconds” Slower Than Lando Norris

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (via IMAGO)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Oscar Piastri is struggling big time in terms of holding onto his driver’s title lead. Amid his failing results, Piastri is trailing the lead to his teammate Lando Norris by 24 points with just three races left in the 2025 season. Now, ex-F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has delivered a brutal take on the Aussie’s lost pace against Norris, especially at such a crucial point in the championship battle.

Keeping in mind Lando Norris’ current state in the championship standings, even if he doesn’t win every upcoming race and finish second to Oscar Piastri, he would still win the title. Many fans are upset with this fact, with others accusing McLaren of a British bias.

Though Piastri clearly declined such a situation within the Woking-based constructor. Now, Juan Pablo Montoya made a shocking claim that the Aussie was significantly slower than Norris in the team currently.

Juan Pablo Montoya recalled the Brazil GP and how Oscar Piastri was unable to emerge victorious against Lando Norris, who dominated the entire weekend. Montoya reckoned that even after the wreck at Interlagos, Piastri was second to Norris, but he couldn’t come close to his British counterpart before being hit with a ten-second penalty.

Lando Norris could get complacent like Oscar Piastri was with his points gap, he needs to be careful. Realistically, Norris could still finish behind Piastri every race now and still win the championship.

Juan Pablo Montoya told PokerStrategy.

Further, Juan Pablo Montoya asserted that Lando Norris was over seven or eight seconds faster than Oscar Piastri at the Brazil GP. The Colombian claimed that the Aussie had no excuse other than the fact that he was simply slower.

Montoya reckoned that the upcoming Las Vegas GP would already be difficult for the squad, and Piastri wouldn’t have any more excuses left with the 2025 season nearing completion.

The problem is, Piastri has no speed. When he ended up being second after the incident with Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc in Brazil, Norris was able to get away from him. Norris had seven or eight seconds on Piastri. What’s the excuse? In Mexico it was low grip, in Brazil it was bumpy, Las Vegas won’t be a strong track for McLaren because of the low downforce.

Juan Pablo Montoya added.

Juan Pablo Montoya refuses to ‘rule Oscar Piastri’ out of the 2025 title battle

Although Oscar Piastri’s winning chances seem very slim right now, it is not all over for him. He can still emerge victorious in the title battle if he can return to his winning ways. Even Juan Pablo Montoya, who claimed Piastri has no speed, is confident that the former can still give Norris bang for buck in the driver’s championship this year. As such, Montoya noted that he wouldn’t rule out the Aussie so soon.

Oscar Piastri, Zak Brown and Lando Norris (via Getty)
Oscar Piastri, Zak Brown and Lando Norris (via Getty)

Juan Pablo Montoya claimed that the ideal situation for Oscar Piastri would be that he goes on to win the Las Vegas GP while Lando Norris suffers from a DNF. Montoya highlighted that Piastri would then lead the campaign by a point and turn around the title narrative completely. Regardless of the championship winner, the Colombian believes that there are many twists and turns to come in the title battle this year.

I won’t rule Oscar Piastri out of the championship yet. He can go to Las Vegas and win with a Lando Norris DNF, then Piastri will lead the championship by a point. It’s not over until the fat lady sings. There are lots more twists and turns to come.

Juan Pablo Montoya noted.

Lando Norris already does not expect to emerge as a dominant force at the Las Vegas GP or even win the race. The Briton has proven difficulties at the third and final American race. As such, Oscar Piastri only has one chance to prove himself and return to the battle for the driver’s title, which he very much deserves to win.

Read More: Lewis Hamilton Blasts ‘Mediocre Older Drivers’ over Criticism Targeting F1 rookies