Villeneuve: Oscar Piastri 'hasn't recovered' from 2025 title collapse

Jacques Villeneuve says Oscar Piastri still hasn't bounced back from the 2025 title collapse that handed the championship to Lando Norris, arguing the Australian has lost the edge that once made him the paddock's breakout star. After leading much of last season, Piastri has endured a difficult start to 2026 and was described by the 1997 world champion as a driver whose form has simply "not recovered."

Why it matters:

Piastri's slide shows just how fast the narrative turns in Formula 1. Twelve months ago he was the story of the season; now, according to Villeneuve, "nobody's talking about him anymore." For McLaren, which is navigating a new set of power unit regulations, getting both drivers consistently on the pace is critical to staying in the championship fight.

The details:

• Speaking to Sky F1, Villeneuve traced Piastri's decline to the midpoint of 2025, when his title challenge unraveled and his performances dipped.
• The 25-year-old failed to start the opening two races of 2026 and, despite rebounding with podiums in Japan and Miami, has since fallen away from the front.
• At the recent Barcelona round, Piastri was "comfortably adrift" of Norris, underscoring a gap that has widened as the season has progressed.
• Villeneuve pointed out the harsh reality of the sport: without a lengthy championship resume to lean on, a driver is only as good as their last few results.

What's next:

Piastri now faces a narrow window to turn things around before the summer break and prove he can still lead McLaren alongside Norris. Adapting to the 2026 regulations was always going to be a challenge, but the team will need both cars delivering if they want to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari at the front. If the slump continues, questions about McLaren's driver hierarchy could become impossible to ignore.