Former Australian Formula 1 world champion Alan Jones has voiced strong support for Oscar Piastri to win the 2025 Drivers’ Championship, while labelling his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, as mentally “weak” in a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia.
Twenty-three-year-old Piastri became the first Australian to lead the F1 standings since his manager, Mark Webber, in 2010, following victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Known for his calmness under pressure and technical precision, Piastri rapidly rose through the junior ranks, winning back-to-back titles in Formula 3 and Formula 2.
With three wins in the opening five races, including a two-race victory streak. Piastri stands out as the only multiple Grand Prix winner this season. He currently leads Norris by 10 points in the Drivers’ Championship.
Alan Jones, now 79, remains Australia’s most recent F1 world champion, having secured the title in 1980. Still a respected figure in the sport, he believes Piastri has the attributes to repeat that historic achievement.
“He is without a doubt a future world champion,” Jones said on The Back Page. “He can do it this year.”
“He’s come out of almost nowhere and he’s got all the attributes you need to be a world champion.”
“Oscar is a pretty strong-minded young kid. I like him. He doesn’t show off, he doesn’t dance all over the place. He’s a really good, strong individual, and that’s exactly what we need to get the job done.”
However, Jones didn’t hold back when discussing Norris, Piastri’s closest rival yet teammate within McLaren.
“The first person you have to beat is your teammate,” Jones said. “At the end of the day, his teammate’s weak.”
“His teammate is quite quick. There’s no doubt about that. But mentally, I think he’s a weak person. He’s coming out with all this nonsense about having mental issues and is dwelling on problems rather than focusing on the positives.”
“When they start talking that nonsense, you know you’ve got them.”
Norris, who was a strong pre-season favourite and a top pick among fans for the 2025 title, has had a rocky start to the season. He crashed out of the final qualifying session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, losing control at Turn 4 and slamming into the barriers at Turn 5.
He has also recently spoke publicly about his mental health challenges. The British driver admitted to feeling anxious and nervous before qualifying and races, which has affected his eating habits. He also revealed that the pressure he places on himself to achieve perfection has negatively impacted his performance.
“I’m not able to be as on it as I was at the end of last year,” Norris said in an interview with The Race. “I’m not able to be as precise as I need to be, and that’s costing me.”
A Rivalry Builds: Piastri vs Norris at McLaren
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have been teammates at McLaren since 2023. The duo delivered instant success, combining for six race wins in 2024 and securing McLaren its first Constructors’ Championship in 26 years.
But in 2025, the partnership has evolved into an intense rivalry. With both drivers now fighting at the front of the grid, comparisons by the public are constant, and internal competition has intensified.
Though Norris is in his sixth season and Piastri his third, the young Australian has been seen constantly improving himself. In 2024, Norris out-qualified Piastri 20 times to four, averaging a 0.147-second gap. He also won four races to Piastri’s two. This year, however, Piastri has already claimed three wins and two poles to Norris’s only one of each, and currently leads in qualifying pace by an average of 0.185 seconds per lap.
Several close on-track battles and rising strategic tensions have sparked questions about team dynamics and leadership within McLaren. Despite speculation, team principal Andrea Stella has insisted that the relationship remains professional.
“The respect, the relationship inside and outside the car, the head-to-head racing between Lando and Oscar,” Stella told Reuters. “It’s been very collaborative. I feel we are entering this season in a very strong position.”
With Piastri’s rise and Norris’s recent performance and unforeseen mental struggles, the rest of the season’s championship is still full of variables.
The 2025 Formula 1 World Championship will conclude with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit from December 5 to 7. The next race is the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, May 4 — the sixth round of the season, and one of six Sprint weekends on the calendar.