Lando Norris dealt intriguing 'Max Verstappen' observation

Jacques Villeneuve believes Lando Norris is "much stronger" when fighting against Max Verstappen than when battling against Oscar Piastri.

The 1997 F1 drivers' champion underlined the difference in racing against your team-mate after the Australian looked to hold the upper hand when the title contest was a strictly intra-McLaren affair.

Reflecting on the campaign, which ultimately saw Norris defeat Verstappen by just two points, Villeneuve highlighted how well the 11-time grand prix winner clawed himself back into contention, having found himself 34 points adrift of Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix.

"He had a good second half of the season, a very good recovery," the former Williams, BAR, Renault and Sauber driver told PokerScout.

He was also quick to shine a light on Verstappen's "incredible achievement" of managing to salvage second in the standings, after being 104 points behind Piastri himself after the trip to Zandvoort.

"Max was exemplary all season. He lost a few points in Barcelona, and that’s it," he added. "Just the fact that he was in the fight in that last race and finished second in the championship is an incredible achievement."

To Villeneuve, Norris looked more comfortable against the Red Bull driver, whom he fought for the crown in 2024, than he did his own team-mate, which is governed by papaya rules.

"Norris fought hard last year and didn’t win it," the Canadian said. "And once he focused on fighting Verstappen this year, he drove better.

"It’s different when you fight your team-mate and a driver from a different team. It’s a different approach. Lando seems to be much stronger when he’s fighting Max."

Overall, Villeneuve was impressed with how the British driver "drove superbly" during the run-in.

When asked if he felt Norris was a worthy champion, he replied: "He is very good in the second half of the season! The same thing happened last year.

"This year, his first part other than Melbourne was nondescript. Baku was a wake-up call. From then on, he drove superbly."