Villeneuve: Norris is the driver with the most to prove in 2025

Heading into 2025, Zak Brown, Andrea Stella and the whole McLaren team know they have the best chance of securing the double. They have a race-winning car as the foundation for the final chapter of the current rules package.

In Lando Norris, they have a proven title contender, and in Oscar Piastri, a champion in the making. With this scenario in mind, 1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve shared his expectations: "I would say Lando Norris needs to prove last season wasn't a fluke.

"That he can consistently race on Max's level. If he can consistently beat Oscar Piastri, he will have cemented his position and McLaren will have to support him to win the Drivers' championship. Beating Max Verstappen will never be easy, no matter what Red Bull he is driving.

Reflecting on 2024, Villeneuve highlighted missed opportunities: "McLaren lost so many points in the Drivers' Championship. They missed a great opportunity to put pressure on Max. They could have been world champions. I know they won the Constructors' Championship, and it's more money in the bank, but nobody cares.

"People only relate to the driver and the team that won with that driver. Aside from this past season, every time Max was world champion, Red Bull also won the Constructors' Championship. But this year, they didn’t, and nobody cares. They care about Max winning with Red Bull.

"The Constructors' Championship just puts money in the bank. For the fans, it's very minor. For McLaren to say, 'The Drivers' Championship wasn't important,' and, 'We wanted the Constructors' Championship,' was just a fallacy," Villeneuve concluded.