F1 champion explains what to do after Piastri’s championship failure

Jacques Villeneuve believes Oscar Piastri should return to Formula 1 after the winter break as a “completely new person” after the disappointment of losing the championship.

The Australian driver led the general classification for most of the 2025 season but lost 13 points to Lando Norris. Max Verstappen was among the McLaren drivers in the final classification.

After winning the Dutch Grand Prix, Piastri entered the last nine races of the season with a comfortable 34-point lead over the Briton, while the Red Bull driver fell 70 points behind.

However, the 24-year-old’s loss of form, which resulted in a chaotic weekend in Baku, and poor performances in Austin, Mexico City and Sao Paulo, caused him to lose his leadership.

It was a painful blow for the nine-time Grand Prix winner; By the end of the season he had gone seven stages without taking a podium, while Verstappen and Norris gradually equalized the lead.

When asked what the main lesson Piastri needed to learn was, Villeneuve emphasized an important point.

“You have to be tough. That’s the whole point. From the outside everything looks friendly and nice, but in reality the world is a very tough place,” said the 1997 Formula 1 champion.

“Things didn’t go his way this year and he understands very well that the championship was in his hands. He had full control over it.”

So it’s harder for him than, say, Max, who doesn’t trust the title at all.

Among these three pilots, Oscar is having the hardest time. In the end, he couldn’t finish third or even second behind Verstappen. This will make him very angry.”

The former driver also explained what Piastri needs to do in the off-season to bounce back without the psychological burden of the lost crown.

“This is something he will have to rethink this winter. I hope he comes to the first tests as a completely new person, having completely forgotten about this season. He will start from scratch, refreshed and recharged.”