McLaren have been warned they might must favour Oscar Piastri over Lando Norris if Max Verstappen makes it a three-way F1 title battle.
That’s the view of 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who believes McLaren may face a tough resolution if Verstappen continues to shut the hole on Piastri and Norris.
Verstappen claimed his second consecutive victory – and fourth of the 2025 season – with a dominant efficiency on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to shut his championship deficit to Piastri from 104 factors to 69 factors.
Championship chief Piastri crashed out in an uncharacteristically error-strewn weekend whereas Norris may solely end seventh as Verstappen gained vital floor on each McLaren drivers.
The consequence leaves Piastri simply 25 factors forward of Norris with seven races nonetheless remaining.
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“The difficulty for Lando Norris is that if Max Verstappen will get nearer and nearer sooner or later the group must begin favouring Piastri, and make him number one,” Villeneuve advised OLBG.
“Then all of the sudden the championship struggle is not going to be in opposition to a teammate anymore however might be in opposition to a driver from a special group and a tricky one. And the very best driver on the planet.
“Norris is in a extremely powerful place now.”
Villeneuve added: “Azerbaijan has really saved or put Verstappen within the hunt and Verstappen would not crack beneath strain and he’ll put an excessive quantity of strain on the 2 McLaren drivers and the group.
“It’s a strain that is very, very powerful to take care of within the Max state of affairs, he is behind, he sees the place they’re. He is aware of precisely the place he has to go. It is simple. However whenever you’re forward, you possibly can’t see what’s taking place behind. You’re tempted to look behind however you possibly can’t afford to.
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“Purple Bull have turned issues round and so they’re nice beneath strain. They’re nice fighters. And McLaren has proven final yr that they don’t seem to be. They know that internally.
“The drivers know that, in order that’s why they really feel the warmth. Max is correct. And the truth that he says that may simply add to the strain. It simply begins colouring the image.”
Verstappen refuses to rule out F1 title bid
Only a handful of races in the past it regarded as if Verstappen had no likelihood of retaining his crown and successful a fifth straight drivers’ world title.
However after successful back-to-back races for the primary time in over a yr amid a revival in kind for Purple Bull, Verstappen seems to have as soon as once more entered the F1 title chat.
The Dutchman has refused to rule out difficult for the championship, although he insisted he doesn’t “depend on hope”, admitting such a feat is “very powerful”.
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“Seven races to go and it is nonetheless 69 factors, it is so much,” he advised Sky Sports activities F1. “Principally, all the things must go good from my aspect after which a little bit of luck from their aspect I want as properly. So it is nonetheless very powerful.”
Talking later within the FIA post-race press convention, Verstappen added: “I do not depend on hope, so I personally do not give it some thought.
“I simply go race by race, what I’ve been doing mainly the entire season – simply attempting to do the very best we are able to, attempt to rating probably the most factors that we are able to. Then after Abu Dhabi, we’ll know.”
