Piastri has to rebuild his confidence over winter break

The 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix can be considered the point of no return for Piastri, with multiple crashes; the worst was when he ended up in the barriers in the opening laps of the Grand Prix.

From there onwards, the Aussie seemed to have left his confidence in that barrier in Baku, and while he showed some signs of awakening towards the end of the season, it was too late, as Lando Norris was on a roll with Max Verstappen emerging from his comeback as the main challenger.

As a result, Piastri ended up third in the 2025 F1 Drivers' Championship, after so much early promise in a season that many believed would be the Australian driver's best chance to bag a maiden title.

"You have to be tough," 1997 F1 Champion Jacques Villeneuve said, commenting on Piastri's 2025 season. "That's the crux of it.

"On the outside it looks all nice and chummy, but it's a tough world. And it didn't work out this year, and he knows he had that championship in his hand. Piastri was controlling it.

"And that's why it's tougher for him than for Max, for example, who never expected to win it anyway," he noted. "Out of the three drivers, it's toughest for Oscar. Because he finished third in the end, behind Max, not even second. That will grate on him.

"That's something that he will have to digest this winter. Hopefully for him, he comes back to that first test a completely new man, forgetting completely about this season. He starts from zero and fresh," Villeneuve maintained.

One of the factors that may have affected Piastri was the manner in which McLaren applied their Papaya Rules on their drivers, which showed favoritism towards Norris.

The 2025 Italian Grand Prix at Monza a clear example when Norris had a bad pit stop and the team asked his teammate to let him through.

That must have hit Piastri hard. Baku came next, and the rest was history.

However, Villeneuve believes that Piastri needs to rebuild his relationship within McLaren to come back to the point when he was the driver they moved heaven and earth to get from Alpine.

"He's under contract," the Canadian said. "It's a fickle world. Some years every team wants you at any cost, and two years later they've moved on to something and someone else.

"You're only as good as your last race, basically. That's what teams and people look at. He had a great image when he was at Alpine before coming into McLaren. Teams were fighting each other to get him.

"The second half of the season didn't do much good in that respect. So, he has to rebuild that confidence a little," Villeneuve concluded.

(Quotes from PokerScout)