Jacques Villeneuve snubs Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris as he names the top two F1 drivers of 2025

Follow us on Google Discover

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri can both win the 2025 F1 title, yet the McLaren drivers have not impressed Jacques Villeneuve as much as Red Bull star Max Verstappen has.

The F1 drivers’ championship will be decided in the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday. Norris will start the race as the champion-elect with 408 points after the first 23/24 rounds, to lead Verstappen by 12 points and Piastri by 16 with 25 up for grabs at Yas Marina.

All three of the title contenders have produced tremendous results throughout the 2025 F1 season. Norris, Verstappen and Piastri all boast seven Grand Prix wins so far this year. Norris and Verstappen have also scored seven pole positions, while Piastri boasts six poles to date.

McLaren have also watched Norris get on the podium in 17 of the 23 Grands Prix held so far, while Piastri has reached 15 rostrums. Red Bull rival Verstappen has roared to the rostrum in 14 races. No other driver has more than two wins, two poles or nine podiums so far in 2025.

Jacques Villeneuve names Max Verstappen and Oliver Bearman as the most impressive F1 drivers of 2025

Mercedes star George Russell is the next-most successful driver during 2025 behind Norris, Piastri and Verstappen. Yet Villeneuve thinks Haas rookie Oliver Bearman has been the most impressive driver during 2025 who is not named Verstappen, having “really impressed” him.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver Oliver Bearman? Everything to know

Ferrari loaned their academy product Bearman to Haas on a two-year deal from 2025 for his first full year in the field. The 20-year-old earned points in three of the first four Grands Prix, as well, but his recent results have left the best impression on 1997 F1 champion Villeneuve.

“I’d say Oliver Bearman,” Villeneuve has told Gazzetta dello Sport. “He’s really impressed me lately. He’s a driver with an excellent understanding of the race, of space, and of what to do, qualities that are very important to see in a young driver.”

Click here to join our conversation about the 2025 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Bearman endured a 10-race point-less run from round five to 14, but the Briton has secured top-10 finishes in six of the past nine Grands Prix. Haas also saw Bearman take a career-best P4 in the Mexico City GP from P9 on the grid, and he even briefly threatened a podium, too.

Lewis Hamilton’s self-proclaimed “nightmare” first year at Ferrari in 2025 has also seen Haas rookie Bearman be linked with a move to Maranello to, one day, replace his compatriot. It is said that Bearman is imprinted on Ferrari’s future and a drive may become available in 2027.

Jacques Villeneuve thinks the ‘dynamics’ at Mercedes have ‘changed’ after Kimi Antonenlli’s resurgence

Villeneuve has also admired the efforts of another rookie driver through the 2025 F1 season in Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The 19-year-old replaced Hamilton at the Silver Arrows this year, and he has since scored three Grand Prix podiums while the Briton has made zero.

READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats

“Kimi Antonelli also improved a lot during the final part of the season, and came out of a difficult period well,” Villeneuve added.

“The internal dynamics at Mercedes have changed, and that’s helped him a lot. Now, you can see he’s more calm, and it will be interesting to see his level next year.”

Antonelli enjoyed a record-breaking start to his F1 career, as he became the youngest driver to lead a Grand Prix and set the fastest lap in Japan. Also, Antonelli became the youngest F1 polesitter for the Miami Sprint, yet Mercedes’ rear suspension update then ruined his mojo.

While Antonelli scored his first F1 podium with P3 in Canada, he also struggled throughout the European leg of the season due to putting extra pressure on himself. But the Italian got his season back on track, and he took further podiums with P2 in Brazil and P3 in Las Vegas.