Lando Norris Urged to 'Annihilate' Oscar Piastri in F1 Title Fight After Dutch GP Setback

Lando Norris now faces a significant 34-point deficit to his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in the battle for this year's drivers' championship, prompting calls for a more ruthless approach.

Why it matters:

Norris's title hopes took a severe blow at the Dutch Grand Prix, where a chassis failure forced his retirement from a guaranteed second position. This incident has widened the gap to Piastri, who has shown exceptional consistency this season, putting Norris in a difficult position of playing catch-up.

Villeneuve's Advice:

1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Norris must now adopt an aggressive, cut-throat attitude. *
Embrace the underdog role: "If you're Lando, he's like the underdog, a hunter, and that's always the position I preferred as well, because it makes you almost angry, aggressive." *
Annihilate your team-mate: "You've got to annihilate your team-mate. You've got to show him who's the stronger, that you are there to eat him alive." *
No room to hide: "You're coming from behind, and there's nowhere to run, no place to hide. That's a little bit the approach you have to have."

Playing Dirty?

Villeneuve suggests Norris might need to employ tactical maneuvers, citing Lewis Hamilton's strategy against Nico Rosberg in 2016 to disrupt Piastri's race or bring other drivers into the mix. *
Slow down to bring others in: "In the race, you just have to hope someone gets in the middle of the fight, that it's not a one-two, but like a one-three, and you can catch more points... You slow down a bit so that someone can maybe get your team-mate if you're ahead."

Piastri's Dilemma:

Piastri, despite his lead, faces his own challenge. While a title is not yet secured, he must decide whether to continue taking risks for wins or to manage his lead more cautiously, potentially accepting P2 finishes to avoid crashes. Max Verstappen's aggressive approach in similar situations is noted, but Piastri's circumstances differ.

The big picture:

McLaren's dominance means Norris would need an unlikely series of five consecutive one-two finishes over Piastri in the next five races just to take a single-point lead, highlighting the immense task ahead.