“Lando Norris is stepping backwards”: F1 champion comments on Oscar Piastri’s growing superiority at McLaren

Oscar Piastri's meteoric race in the 2025 season is majorly due to Lando Norris' collapse, says former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve. He argued that the British driver had succumbed to pressure, whereas the Aussie had kept his cool to advance ahead in the title race.

Last season, Norris emerged as the championship contender out of nowhere as McLaren made exceptional progress to cut down the gap in the second half. Though he fell 63 points short of Max Verstappen, Norris was expected to come out better in 2025.

However, Oscar Piastri has instead turned out to be McLaren's golden charm. He won four out of the opening six races and is leading Norris by 16 points in the title race. The Brit, on the other hand, has slipped since his first win in Australia.

Meanwhile, former F1 world champion, Jacques Villeneuve, has stated that Piastri's growing stature this season reflects more on Lando Norris' collapse rather than his own growth. He argued that both have equal machinery, but the Aussie is calm, whereas the Brit has succumbed to pressure.

Talking to Vision4Sport, Villeneuve said:

"I don't think Oscar Piastri has gotten into Lando Norris's head; I think Lando got into his own head. Lando always seems to be on the back foot. Piastri looks and feels like he belongs there. He is there to fight."

"I don't think it has changed that much. I think it's more that it has collapsed around him and he’s just stayed focused and cold. Maybe he has taken a small step. But that small step is getting bigger with the other one. Lando Norris is stepping backwards. It is making a big difference."

Villeneuve also said that Norris entered the 2025 season with a big weight on his shoulder, wanting to take a shot at winning the championship. However, his inability to absorb the pressure is something holding the Brit behind, added Villeneuve.

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Mario Andretti warns McLaren of having to choose between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at F1 Grand Prix of Miami - Sprint & Qualifying - Source: Getty

McLaren has a healthy competition brewing between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris as they are pitted head-to-head in equal machinery. However, former F1 legend, Mario Andretti, believes the Papaya team is bound to prioritise a driver after mid-season.

Talking to the Beyond the Grid podcast, Andretti said:

“When you have two capable winners on the same team, where do you go from there? Only one can win. We’ve seen that in 1973 with Emerson Fittipaldi and Ronnie Peterson taking points away from each other, and neither won the championship."

"I think the only way to deal with that is you have to keep it open until mid-season, and then whoever is leading in points mid-season, that’s the one that is number one. Then the other one has to relinquish and help. It’s a wonderful place to be, but at the same time, there will be a critical decision to be made at some point."

In 2024, McLaren enforced team orders on Oscar Piastri as he played a supporting role to help Lando Norris compete with Max Verstappen in the title race. However, this year, Piastri has an upper hand as he is leading championship standings with 131 points in six races.