Former champions have grown tired of Oscar Piastri, with one saying that his ‘market value has dropped significantly’. Piastri’s form dipped during the second half of the 2025 season, and according to Nico Rosberg and Jacques Villeneuve, he has struggled to live up to expectations this year as well.
While Piastri was considered one of the most promising Formula 1 talents a year ago, the two former world champions claim that his reputation in the paddock has deteriorated in recent months.
A Difficult Run of Races
After retiring from the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix, Piastri bounced back with podium finishes in Japan and Miami. However, he has not achieved a top-three finish since then.
There have also been some issues with the stewards. The Australian received a ten-second time penalty for an incident with Alex Albon in Canada, as well as a controversial five-second penalty in Monaco for speeding in the pit lane. Although he avoided trouble in Barcelona, he was unable to match the pace of his teammate, Lando Norris. Norris finished third, while Piastri crossed the line in fifth place, 35 seconds behind his teammate.
Rosberg: ‘His market value has dropped.’
Rosberg sees this as a worrying development.
“Things haven’t been going so well for Piastri lately,” he said on a Sky Sports broadcast. “His market value has dropped significantly over the past few weeks and months. It’s a bit unexpected because last year he was constantly on par with Lando, but the latter has a substantial lead this year.”
The former champion believes that the new generation of cars and regulations are playing a role in this.
“With these new regulations and cars, Oscar doesn’t quite feel at ease yet. It’s a bit strange, and he really needs to work on it because he risks falling far behind.”
“You are only as good as your last race.”
Jacques Villeneuve also sees a clear change in the way Piastri is viewed within Formula 1.
“Well, we already saw that trend last year,” he added. “Halfway through the season, he was the talk of the paddock. It was incredible that McLaren had signed him, given how strongly he had proven himself in Formula 3 and Formula 2. It was all fantastic.”
Piastri won both the junior categories and his first Grand Prix in his second year with McLaren. Last year, he won another seven races and led the championship for a long time.
However, according to Villeneuve, the current situation shows how quickly public opinion can shift.
“It’s very strange, but as we often say, ‘You’re only as good as your last race’, That’s the tricky thing about this sport. Unless you’re Lewis Hamilton and you’ve won so many championships. Otherwise, if you have two or three bad races, the whole world moves on again.”
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Alex Stanton is a Formula 1 journalist at TJ13 with a focus on the financial and commercial dynamics that underpin the sport. Alex contributes reporting and analysis on team ownership structures, sponsorship trends, and the evolving business model of Formula 1.
At TJ13, Alex covers topics including manufacturer investment, cost cap implications, and the strategic direction of teams navigating an increasingly complex financial environment. Alex’s work often examines how commercial decisions translate into on-track performance and long-term competitiveness.
With a strong interest in the intersection of sport and business, Alex provides context around Formula 1’s global growth, including media rights, expansion markets, and manufacturer influence.
Alex’s reporting aims to explain the financial realities behind headline stories, helping readers understand how money, governance, and strategy shape the competitive order in Formula 1.
