F1 legend Jacques Villeneuve believes Randnoris still has an advantage over Oscar Piastri, but the British driver “is in his own head.”
Norris endured the error-laden start of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Norris has not won since the Australian Grand Prix, which opens its season.
Teammate Piastri won four of the five races following Melbourne, leading the Formula 1 drivers’ championship.
Piastri, heading for the Emilia Romana Grand Prix this weekend, is 16 points ahead of his teammates.
When assessing the battle for the Formula One title, Villeneuve feels that while Norris is still faster, Piastri is faster and has made a “small step” compared to last year.
“I don’t think Oscar Piastri has entered Rand Norris’s head. I think Randor has entered his head,” Villeneuve told Vision4Sport.
“Last year, Rand came as a loser who wasn’t supposed to win and was not going to fight for the championship. It was easy. There was no pressure. It just didn’t accumulate. This year he said, ‘OK, this is my big name.
“Rand started the season with a different kind of weight on his shoulder, and he’s still very fast, so he’s not dealing with it well, but there are some weird moments that are very expensive in the championship.
“He’s generally faster than Piastri, but the points aren’t there. If there are too many small mistakes, the field is so close that you lose multiple positions and five spots. That’s a lot of points.
“It seems Rand is always behind. Piastri feels he appears and belongs there. He’s there to fight.
“I don’t think it’s that different. It was falling around him and he was just focused and cold. Maybe he took a small step, but that little step is getting bigger on the other side. Rand Norris is turning backwards.
Is Imola a must-see for Norris?
With Piastri winning four of his final five races, Norris is desperate to stop his teammates from moving forward.
For many years, Imola has been a happy hunting ground for Norris.
He finished on the podium in 2021 and made the third best drive.
This was a similar story in 2022, finishing third. This was the only driver outside of the top three teams and finished on the podium.
He pushed Max Verstappen hard for his 2024 victory, but Dutchman ended up being the top.