Norris “Awakens” While Piastri Shows “Complacency”, Warns Villeneuve
1. The Momentum Swing After Mexico
Lando Norris left Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez with a one-point lead over Oscar Piastri and, more importantly, the conviction that he can still steal the 2025 crown from his own garage. Four podiums in the last five races—including a commanding win in Mexico City—have erased the 34-point deficit he nursed after his Zandvoort engine failure. Jacques Villeneuve, never short of an opinion, labelled the turnaround “the real awakening of a title contender” .
2. Villeneuve’s Verdict: Norris “Drove Like a Champion”
Speaking to Motorsport.com, the 1997 world champion praised Norris’s aggression under the Mexican sun: “He positioned the car, managed the tyres and forced Piastri to answer. That’s what champions do—apply pressure until the other guy blinks” . Villeneuve particularly liked Norris’s willingness to run longer on the first stint, forcing McLaren to favour the #4 car strategically for the first time this season.
3. “Complacency Has Crept Into Piastri’s Game”
Villeneuve was less complimentary about the Australian. After converting only two podiums from the last five Grands Prix, Piastri has watched a 14-point advantage flip into a 1-point deficit. “Oscar looks complacent, almost too comfortable,” Villeneuve said. “When you start thinking the speed alone will do the job, you stop searching for those last hundredths” . The Canadian pointed to Piastri’s qualifying in Mexico—four-tenths off Norris—as evidence that “the hunger isn’t as sharp anymore”.
4. Inside the McLaren Camp: Papaya Rules Under Scrutiny
Team principal Andrea Stella continues to insist on “equality until one driver is mathematically out”, but the data now favours Norris:
- Average race-pace edge to Norris since Singapore: +0.18 s per lap
- Piastri’s Q3 head-to-head record vs Norris: 2-5 in the last seven rounds
- Podiums after the summer break: Norris 4 – Piastri 2
Villeneuve believes the famed “papaya rules” will be tested in Brazil and Las Vegas. “If Norris wins the start at Interlagos, McLaren will have to decide—do they risk a team-orders scandal or let their fastest guy take the title?”
5. Psychological Warfare: Experience vs Youth
Norris, 25, has logged 120 Grand Prix starts without a crown; Piastri, 24, arrived with meteoric F3/F4 success but only 39 races under his belt. Villeneuve thinks the pressure curve has crossed: “Lando has felt the pain, so he values every chance. Oscar’s still learning how much it hurts to lose one” .
6. What the Numbers Say
With three sprints and two Grands Prix left, 130 points remain on the table. Verstappen lingers 40 behind Piastri, but the Dutchman needs both McLarens to falter. Bookmakers now list Norris as 4-5 favourite, Piastri at 7-4—proof that the narrative has flipped almost overnight.
7. Final Warning From Villeneuve
“Oscar must re-find that ruthless edge he showed in Melbourne and Suzuka,” Villeneuve insists. “If he arrives in Abu Dhabi still behind, it won’t be about car balance—it will be about mentality” .
Sources
Motorsport.com France – Le « réveil » de Norris et la « suffisance » de Piastri selon Villeneuve – 31 oct. 2025
Facebook / ThisIsFormula1 – Villeneuve claims Norris drove like a champion – 29 oct. 2025
Grand Prix 247 – Villeneuve: neither Norris nor Piastri react super well under pressure – 17 oct. 2025