Villeneuve: Piastri 'Threw Away' Title After Peaking at Wrong Time
Jacques Villeneuve claims Oscar Piastri 'threw away' the F1 title, suggesting his early-season momentum came at the wrong time. A disastrous weekend in Baku proved costly as Lando Norris surged to win the championship.
1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Oscar Piastri 'threw away' the 2024 drivers' title, arguing the McLaren driver peaked at the wrong time. After leading the championship for a significant portion of the season, Piastri's challenge unraveled following a disastrous weekend in Baku. This allowed his teammate, Lando Norris, to capitalize and surge to the championship in the season's final stages.
Why it matters:
Piastri's season serves as a stark reminder of the mental fortitude required to sustain a year-long title fight in F1. Losing the lead after holding it for so long can be a significant psychological setback for a young driver learning to contend for a championship. With massive regulation changes coming in 2026, this year's McLaren was a rare 'golden ticket' to a title, and there's no guarantee the team will be in the same competitive position next year, making this missed opportunity particularly painful.
The details:
- 'Wrong Time' Momentum: Villeneuve stated that Piastri was 'climbing too early in the season' and that it was the 'wrong time to have the momentum.' The Australian led the standings after his win in Saudi Arabia and held a 34-point advantage over Norris following his victory in Zandvoort.
- The Baku Turning Point: The 1997 champion singled out the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as the critical weekend. Piastri, still mentally affected by being on the receiving end of team orders in Monza, suffered a disastrous sequence: crashing in qualifying, jumping the start, stalling on the grid, and then retiring on the first lap.
- Norris's Rise: While Piastri struggled to regain his form, his teammate Lando Norris found his stride at the perfect moment, 'stepping on the gas' as Piastri faltered to close the gap and eventually take the lead in Mexico City.
- Psychological Toll: Villeneuve explained that leading for so long creates a mindset of 'all I need is to not make mistakes,' making the subsequent collapse even more frustrating for a driver who knows he has the speed.
Looking Ahead:
Villeneuve remains confident in Piastri's raw speed, noting, 'he knows he can drive fast, so if the car permits, he’ll get another shot.' However, the primary question mark is the 2026 regulation overhaul. As Villeneuve warned, 'no one knows which team will be quick, and it might not be McLaren.' For Piastri, the challenge is to learn from the mental and strategic lessons of this season, turning a painful title loss into the experience needed to capitalize on the next opportunity.