Former Formula 1 driver Jacques Villeneuve scrutinizes Oscar Piastri‘s 2025 season. The Australian was leading the drivers’ championship for a long time, but ultimately fell thirteen points short of securing the title. According to Villeneuve, Piastri peaked too early, and particularly lost momentum after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix: ‘And at that moment, Lando Norris was just stepping on the gas.’
Oscar Piastri took the championship lead after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The driver from Melbourne became the first Australian championship leader since manager Mark Webber, but ultimately could not capitalize on his leading position. Due to a late slump in form, Piastri lost the lead in Mexico City to teammate Lando Norris, who eventually won the world title.
According to Jacques Villeneuve – himself a world champion in 1997 – Piastri simply peaked too early in the year. “Oscar was leading for most of the season,” Villeneuve begins his analysis in an interview with a betting platform. “He was on the rise, but I think he started climbing too early in the season. It wasn’t the right time to create momentum, I think.”
Baku
According to Villeneuve, Piastri lost many points, particularly during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where the Australian didn’t make it past the opening round due to a crash. “Baku was costly,” adds the former Williams driver. “I think Baku really impacted his subsequent season. He was fast in the last two races, but it took him a while to regain that momentum, which is quite unusual. At that time, Norris was accelerating.”
“It’s a long season, and when you’ve been leading for so long and you have a significant advantage in your mind, you think: ‘Okay, I’m there, I just need to avoid making mistakes’,” Villeneuve continues. “Then you throw it away. That can be frustrating, but he knows he can drive fast, so if the car allows it, he’ll get another chance.” Whether that will be in 2026, the former F1 champion doesn’t know yet. The upcoming rule changes are causing a lot of uncertainty for the entire Formula 1 grid. “That’s the problem with the rule changes: no one knows which team will be fast, and it might not be McLaren.”
