F1 championship leader Oscar Piastri is riding high into this week’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with four wins out of six races so far this season and a 16-point lead over his McLaren teammate Lando Norris in the Drivers’ standings.
However, according to 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, Piastri’s success isn’t just about speed – it’s also about perception.
And the Canadian has stirred the pot, labeling Piastri as F1’s “golden child,” enjoying a subtle edge with the sport’s stewards that could tip the championship scales.
Piastri’s aggressive racing has been a hallmark of his breakout year. He tangled with Max Verstappen on the opening lap in Saudi Arabia, where Verstappen copped a five-second penalty, and battled Kimi Antonelli in Miami’s sprint without facing repercussions.
Reflecting on those circumstances, Villeneuve sees a pattern.
“Oscar Piastri doesn’t seem to be affected by pressure and he’s got a good mentor in Mark Webber,” he told Vision4Sport.
“He is somebody Oscar can lean on. I wouldn’t go as far as to say father-figure, but there’s this balance, this energy in place between them and that’s super helpful.”
Villeneuve went a step further in his analysis, claiming Piastri’s current golden-boy status is shielding him from the harsher penalties handed to others — namely Verstappen.
“Piastri is loved. He’s like the golden child right now,” he added.
“If something happens, he won’t be given penalties as easily as Max Verstappen is, for instance. That’s also a big help in fighting for a Championship.”
He compared the situation to past title duels: “It reminds me of when we had Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fighting for the championship.
“If they made the same move, Nico would get a penalty. In the following race, if Lewis made the same move, he wouldn’t be penalised.
“There is this slight unbalance which is human and Piastri is on the right side of the balance.”
Despite Piastri’s blistering start, Villeneuve isn’t counting out his teammate for the title, if he can rebound mentally.
“I still think Lando Norris has a little bit of an edge to win the drivers’ world championship, if he recovers psychologically,” he said.
“The next two or three races will be very telling for Lando to see what happens with him mentally and how he shapes up.
“Oscar Piastri is now at Lando’s level, and he won’t go backwards. He might progress just that little bit because he’s getting stronger every time.”
And as for Norris’ resilience? Villeneuve sees a mental fork in the road: “How will it affect Norris having lost the lead in the championship race?
“Will it make him the underdog again and make him revert to the Lando of last year. Or will it make him collapse? That’s what is hard to read. If it makes him collapse, then okay, Piastri will be champion.”
At Imola next weekend, McLaren’s intra-team rivalry will pick up where it left off, and once again under a lot of scrutiny.
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