Villeneuve slams 'embarrassing' claims of McLaren bias toward Norris
Jacques Villeneuve has strongly criticized fans who accused McLaren of favoring Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri, calling the claims 'embarrassing.' He defended Norris's performances and urged a look at the full season context, including Norris's engine failure and Piastri's own strong mid-season form.
Former Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has dismissed fan theories that McLaren showed preferential treatment toward Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri during the 2025 season, calling the accusations and the booing Norris received at some races "embarrassing."
Why it matters:
In a season where McLaren's internal driver battle was a central narrative, accusations of team bias can undermine a driver's achievements and create unnecessary friction within a team and its fanbase. Villeneuve's comments highlight the need for fans to assess performance based on the full season's context rather than isolated incidents or favoritism narratives.
The details:
- Villeneuve labeled talk of McLaren bias as "ridiculous" and pointed to Norris's clean, respectful, and fast driving as reasons why he should not be booed.
- He argued that for a bias claim to hold weight, a clear and unfair performance discrepancy would need to exist, such as Piastri being significantly faster but consistently hampered by car failures, which was not the case.
- The 1997 champion provided specific counterpoints to the bias narrative:
- Norris was the only McLaren driver to suffer an engine failure during the campaign.
- Piastri often outperformed Norris and scored more points during the middle part of the season.
- Norris's superior pace in the latter half of the season was a consistent trend, also seen the previous year.
- Villeneuve concluded that fans of a driver who falls behind must sometimes "bite the bullet and accept it" rather than inventing conspiracy theories about unfair treatment.
The big picture:
The debate occurs against the backdrop of Oscar Piastri's failed 2025 title bid, where he lost a 34-point lead to finish 13 points behind Norris. Other figures, like former Haas boss Guenther Steiner, have placed the blame for that collapse squarely on Piastri's own performance. Villeneuve's intervention serves as a reminder that in a tight intra-team battle, results are typically dictated by driver form and reliability luck over a full season, not orchestrated team orders.