Jacques Villeneuve says Lando Norris did something at Monza that he should never do in an F1 title fight

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Lando Norris cut Oscar Piastri’s lead in the championship down to 31 points after finishing second at the Italian Grand Prix.

It was a crucial bounce-back for the Brit after Piastri gained 25 points on him at Zandvoort. Norris retired with a rare mechanical failure in the closing stages, which could prove costly for his title challenge.

The 25-year-old came out on top in the intra-team battle at McLaren at the Italian Grand Prix as he finished P2 ahead of Piastri. Norris had set the pace in practice, but Max Verstappen took a stunning pole position and dominated the race.

Martin Brundle told Norris to avoid ’50/50′ moves and focus on scoring points after his Zandvoort DNF. He did not follow that advice as he lunged into turn one on Verstappen and took the lead, before the Red Bull driver ran wide and gained the place back.

Norris had a ‘tricky’ battle with Verstappen as Red Bull instructed the Dutchman to hand the position back, but it did not take long for the four-time champion to retake the lead. The McLaren driver was no match for Verstappen as he settled for second, but that result was not without controversy.

Jacques Villeneuve says Lando Norris should never help Oscar Piastri after Monza pit stop call

McLaren sparked outright on social media with team orders during the only round of pit stops. The team opted to pit Piastri first to protect him from an undercut from Charles Leclerc, with the Aussie enjoying a 1.9 second stop.

Norris was asked whether he wanted to pit first or second, and the Brit chose the latter as he did not want to be undercut by his teammate. But that is exactly what happened when the front left wheel gun jammed as Piastri went past to take second.

McLaren told the Aussie to hand the place back to Norris, causing uproar among fans and pundits as Norris was allowed to cut his teammate’s lead down in the standings. David Coulthard accused McLaren of ‘manipulating’ the race after a mistake they had made.

While many have pointed the finger at the team for their error, Jacques Villeneuve criticised Norris for allowing his teammate to pit before him. He would not have known that he would have a slower stop, but the 1997 champion says he cannot help his teammate in any way during a title fight.

“He seems to race Max better than he races his teammate every time,” he said via F1 TV’s Post-Race Show at Monza.

“Because what I don’t understand is why did he tell the team: ‘Oh no, it’s OK, pit Piastri before me.’ You want to be world champion, you don’t do anything to help your teammate, ever.”

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

What does Lando Norris need to do to beat Oscar Piastri for the 2025 championship?

With 31 points between the McLaren drivers and with eight races and three Sprints to go, Norris has plenty of opportunities to regain the advantage. He is also under less pressure, as Piastri is ‘odds on’ favourite for the title.

Bernie Ecclestone thinks McLaren would prefer Norris to win the title over Piastri after he was favoured at Monza. McLaren will give their drivers equal opportunities and allow them to fight, but the Brit must forget about playing as a team if he is to come out on top.

Juan Pablo Montoya says Norris needs to keep secrets from Piastri, especially with his runs in practice. The 25-year-old often comes out on top on Fridays, but giving too much away to his teammate can cost him, as shown by the Aussie’s win at Zandvoort.

Guenther Steiner says Norris and Piastri must risk their friendship to become world champion. Ultimately, only one of them will win in 2025 and they cannot give the other any chance to beat them in the final rounds of the season.