An Australian Formula One great has backed Oscar Piastri to win the world championship this season but issued a brutal assessment of his McLaren team-mate, Lando Norris, claiming he was ‘weak’.
Norris had been the favourite to finally end Max Verstappen’s run of having won four consecutive Drivers’ Championships at the start of the season but he has struggled to get back into the winner’s circle since his victory in Melbourne back in March.
Questions have revolved around the 25-year-old’s ability to handle the pressure of the Formula One circuit, with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko stating in October 2024 that his team ‘knew Norris had some mental weakness’.
However, in Bahrain, questions mounted over Norris’ form, after he admitted he’d ‘been off it all weekend’.
‘I don’t know why. Just clueless on track at the minute. I don’t know. I just need a big reset,’ he said to the BBC.
Those issues were compounded further after he crashed in qualifying at the Saudi Grand Prix but would make a strong comeback to finish fourth in the race after starting 10th on the grid.
Lando Norris (right) has been handed a brutal insult by a Formula One great who branded him a ‘weak person’
Alan Jones (pictured), was the last Aussie to win a world championship back in 1980
Now, Alan Jones, who was the last Australian to win the Formula One world championship believes that Norris’ dip in form this season is giving Piastri a run at the title.
‘The first person you’ve got to beat is your teammate,’ Jones said to The Back Page on Fox Sports.
‘He (Piastri) can do it (win the F1 title) this year, no question. At the end of the day, his teammate is weak.
‘His teammate is quite quick, there’s no doubt about that. But mentally, I think he’s quite a weak person.
‘He’s coming out with all this nonsense that he’s got a bit of a mental thing, he’s dwelling on some of the problems he’s had rather than the positives.
‘When they start talking all that nonsense, you know you’ve got them.’
It also comes as Ralf Schumacher has expressed concerns over Norris’ form.
He even went as far as suggesting that other teams could begin to start ‘blacklisting’ the 25-year-old if he continues to struggle on the circuit.
But Jones expressed worries over Norris’ form following his Australian Grand Prix win at the start of the year
It also comes as Ralf Schumacher has expressed concerns over Norris’ form
‘He knows that if he doesn’t perform this year, it will be difficult for him (to work with) other teams at some point,’ Schumacher said to the Backstage Boxengasse podcast.
‘You know how it is in the paddock; once they think that you’re a rubbish driver or not mentally strong enough to become world champion, then of course, you no longer have access to the other top teams.’
Piastri, meanwhile, is enjoying an outstanding start to the season, with the 24-year-old becoming the first Aussie to lead the Drivers’ Championship in 15 years since Mark Webber.
Despite an underwhelming start at his home Grand Prix, where Piastri slid off the track in Melbourne after tailing Norris for most of the race, he has since gone on to win three times, notably picking up maximum points at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Even if Piastri can’t go on to win the Drivers’ Championship in 2025, Jones believes the Aussie, who has stunned with his brilliant form this season, is showing all the signs of a future world champion.
‘He is without a doubt a future world champion,’ he told Fox Sports.
‘He’s come out of almost nowhere and he’s got all the attributes that you need to be a world champion.’
Piastri has demonstrated a level of composure this season that Jones was in awe of.
It comes as Jones lumped praise on Oscar Piastri (pictured) claiming he can go on to win the Drivers championship this year
He hailed the 24-year-old for his maturity before stating he ‘grows horns’ when he steps into the car, despite being a quiet presence around the paddock
‘Oscar is a pretty strong-minded young kid. I love him,’ he said.
‘He doesn’t show off, he doesn’t dance all over the place. He’s just a strong individual and that’s exactly what we need to get the job done.
‘He’s got an old head on young shoulders. He’s very, very mature. He’s very laid back. He’s not easily ruffled, whereas I think his teammate is a little bit the opposite way.
‘I think the teammate could be blown out quite easily and I think Oscar will take advantage of that. He’s got the brains and the strength to do that. He’s very laid back, he doesn’t say much and he gets on with it, which I love.
‘Out of the car, he’s quiet, but when he gets in the car he grows horns and that’s what you want.’
