Former F1 champion claims “golden child” Oscar Piastri is being helped by FIA against Max Verstappen in title fight

With Oscar Piastri winning four out of the last five races, former F1 champion, Jacques Villeneuve, has made some a strong claim about the driver. Piastri currently leads the drivers' championship by a margin of 16 points over his teammate, Lando Norris.

Villeneuve has claimed that Piastri is being helped by the FIA in his title fight against defending champion Max Verstappen. The former F1 champion cited past incidents like Piastri's clashes with Verstappen in Saudi Arabia and Kimi Antonelli, in Miami. He raised questions about the fairness of the competition.

"Piastri is loved. He’s like the golden child right now. If something happens, he won’t be given penalties as easily as Max Verstappen is, for instance. That’s also a big help in fighting for a championship." Villeneuve told Vision4Sport (via Planet F1).

Villeneuve compared the current scenario of the championship battle to that of rivalries like Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg. He expressed that the perception of a driver influences the penalty decisions, with his opinion that Piastri is benefiting from it in the 2025 season.

Villeneuve further shared his opinion that the Australian driver has an added advantage on the track due to his renowned mentor.

"Oscar Piastri seems unfazed by pressure, and with Mark Webber as his mentor, he has a strong support system. Piastri is adored. He is like the golden boy right now,” Villeneuve added.

The battle for the drivers' title has intensified within the McLaren team as well, with McLaren continuing with its no-first-driver policy. Despite Piastri's lead, Villeneuve feels that Lando Norris can bounce back if he can rise from the big setback of losing the top spot to his teammate.

Oscar Piastri is trying to match Ayrton Senna's record

Oscar Piastri can match a record held by Ayrton Senna if he wins the race in Imola this weekend (May 18). The 24-year-old driver has won the last three Grands Prix, becoming the first McLaren driver to achieve this in 27 years.

Oscar Piastri at the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain - Source: Getty

If the Australian driver manages to win at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix over the weekend, he would become the second driver to win four consecutive races for the McLaren team after Ayrton Senna in 1991 and 1988. He would also become the first driver to win four consecutive races after Verstappen's dream run of nine victories during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Piastri finished fourth last year at Imola, missing a podium finish by just one place. With the supreme form the driver finds himself in right now, he will definitely try to make it straight four victories, break a number of records, and extend his lead in the championship.

The McLaren driver currently has 131 points to his name after finishing on the podium for five of the first six races.