Oscar Piastri labelled F1's "golden child" as Jacques Villeneuve hints at favouritism

1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has suggested Oscar Piastri receives favouritism from F1's stewards compared to Max Verstappen.

Piastri has enjoyed a remarkable start to the 2025 F1 season, winning four of the opening six races.

It has put Piastri at the top of the F1 drivers’ standings, 16 points ahead of McLaren teammate Lando Norris, ahead of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Piastri has proven to be a fierce competitor on track in the opening rounds of the season.

He fought hard against Verstappen on the opening lap of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with the Dutchman picking up a five-second time penalty due to their battle.

Piastri was aggressive against Kimi Antonelli on the opening lap of the Miami sprint, too - but crucially, avoided a penalty.

Villeneuve believes Piastri has a crucial advantage in this year’s F1 title race because he is less likely to be penalised by the stewards.

“Oscar Piastri doesn’t seem to be affected by pressure and he’s got a good mentor in Mark Webber,” Villeneuve told Vision4Sport.  “He is somebody Oscar can lean on. I wouldn’t go as far as to say father-figure, but there’s this balance, this energy in place between them and that’s super helpful.

“Piastri is loved. He’s like the golden child right now. If something happens, he won’t be given penalties as easily as Max Verstappen is, for instance. That’s also a big help in fighting for a Championship.

“It reminds me of when we had Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fighting for the championship. If they made the same move, Nico would get a penalty. In the following race, if Lewis made the same move, he wouldn’t be penalised. There is this slight unbalance which is human and Piastri is on the right side of the balance.”

Villeneuve weighs in on F1 title battle

While Piastri has momentum with his strong start to the year, Villeneuve still sees Norris having a “little bit of an edge” in the title race.

The Canadian feels the next couple of races are crucial to see whether Norris has bounced back “psychologically” following an error-strewn start to the year.

“I still think Lando Norris has a little bit of an edge to win the drivers’ world championship, if he recovers psychologically,” Villeneuve added. “The next two or three races will be very telling for Lando to see what happens with him mentally and how he shapes up.

“Oscar Piastri is now at Lando’s level, and he won’t go backwards. He might progress just that little bit because he’s getting stronger every time. It’s become more of an even battle between the two.

“How will it affect Norris having lost the lead in the championship race?  Will it make him the underdog again and make him revert to the Lando of last year. Or will it make him collapse? That’s what is hard to read. If it makes him collapse, then okay, Piastri will be champion.”