Jacques Villeneuve now changes his mind about who’s ‘stronger’ out of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

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McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have led every round of the 2025 drivers’ championship between them, and are separated by just 14 points atop the standings.

Norris became the first person not called Max Verstappen to top the F1 drivers’ standings in 1,029 days when the Briton won the 2025 season-opening Australian Grand Prix. Yet Piastri dethroned his papaya pal only 35 days later when the Australian won the Saudi Arabian GP.

Piastri has continued to top the standings ever since April’s event in Jeddah, as well. But the 24-year-old has watched Norris and Verstappen reduce his lead during each of the past four rounds in Italy, Azerbaijan, Singapore and the United States to now lead by 14 and 40 points.

Helped by Piastri crashing out of the Azerbaijan GP in September, Verstappen has also taken 64 points out of the McLaren man’s lead over the past four rounds. The Dutchman also took advantage of Piastri crashing into Norris in the COTA Sprint to truly get back in the title fight.

Jacques Villeneuve feels Lando Norris is ‘a little bit stronger’ than Oscar Piastri in the F1 title fight

Piastri’s recent errors, having even conceded that he crashed in Baku after failing to get over that he also jumped the start, have shown Jacques Villeneuve that Norris now appears to be the “stronger” McLaren racer. Norris has also finished in front of Piastri in the last four races.

READ MORE: Every error that cost Lando Norris points in his failed 2024 F1 title challenge

Villeneuve acknowledges that Norris was only P7 in the Azerbaijan GP after botching his last qualifying lap to also start from P7. But the Briton impressed the 1997 F1 champion with his P3 in Singapore and P2 in the USA, where Piastri also only managed P5 after he qualified P6.

Villeneuve said on Sky Sports F1 (24/10, 19:06): “They’re both number one drivers. There was a time in the season where Piastri was a little bit faster. Ultimately, Norris seems to be a little bit stronger.

“Because they both collapsed in Baku, Norris didn’t get the opportunity he should have got. But then he bounced back. [In] the last two races, he was quick.

“And he seems to be a better driver when he’s fighting Max, a lot better than when he’s fighting his teammate. Maybe [it is] because of the Papaya Rules.”

Jacques Villeneuve accuses McLaren of treating Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri like ‘bad’ kids

McLaren’s handling of their Papaya Rules has also sparked Villeneuve’s anger, as he feels the Woking outfit have treated their drivers like “bad” kids. The Canadian has also criticised how Piastri kept complaining after Norris made contact with him at the start of the Singapore GP.

Villeneuve noted: “The ‘Papaya Rules’ do not really work with strength. [It] does not come out as being strong, ‘Let’s go for a championship. We’re fighting for it’.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

“It sounds very, very soft. And, now, it was like two kids being punished in the corner of their room. ‘You’ve been a bad boy’. Now it goes wrong. ‘Oh, you’ve been a bad boy, as well. So, OK, now we have a clean slate’. I mean, come on, they’re fighting for a championship.

“Look at Singapore? OK, Norris tapped the car in front of him a little bit and they touched wheels. Then we heard 10 laps of complaining [from Piastri]. No, that’s not on.”

Piastri felt McLaren should have intervened after Norris tapped his front-left tyre after also tapping the rear of Verstappen’s Red Bull at Turn 3 at the start of the Singapore GP. After an interval review, McLaren imposed sporting repercussions on Norris at the United States GP.

Yet McLaren have rescinded Norris’ sporting repercussions as Piastri took his teammate out at the start of the COTA Sprint. Now, the papaya pals are back on a level playing field for the final five Grands Prix and two Sprints, as they fight each other and Verstappen over the title.