Oscar Piastri defended as Aussie legends slam Nico Rosberg criticism

Australian racing legend James Courtney hit back at Nico Rosberg and Jacques Villeneuve after they declared Oscar Piastri’s standing in the F1 paddock has taken a hit this season.

According to Courtney and six-time Bathurst winner Garth Tander, McLaren’s form this season hasn’t exactly given Piastri the opportunity to shine.

Oscar Piastri criticism rejected by James Courtney and Garth Tander

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Although Piastri is just five points behind his teammate and reigning world champion Lando Norris, Rosberg and Villeneuve both questioned his form after the Barcelona Grand Prix.

On a Sunday when Norris finished on the podium, having closed in on the Mercedes drivers in the final stint, Piastri was fifth and finished the Grand Prix half a minute behind his teammate.

“Not going too well for him as of late,” Rosberg told Sky Sports. “His market value has taken a bit of a plunge in the last weeks and months.”

Jacques Villeneuve added: “Nobody’s talking about him anymore. And that’s in the space of what? Like six months? Even less.”

Aussie legends Courtney and Tander did not take kindly to the criticism of their compatriot.

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Supercars champion Courtney called it short-sighted and questioned whether the two F1 world champions had been out of the game for too long to understand the grasp the full picture.

“I think it’s a pretty harsh summary of his season,” he told MotorRacing 360. “I think McLaren as a team hasn’t shined, so then it’s hard for him to look good.

“I think last year they had such a dominant car and great performances over the last 18 months up until this point.

“I think this year, just as a team, they’ve struggled. I think Zak Brown would admit to that and say it wasn’t good enough, and the whole team [would], and that’s why they’re working so hard to try and lift as a team.

“For [Rosberg and Villeneuve] to come out with that, I think it’s incredibly harsh. Maybe they’ve just been out of it a little too long.

“I think there are a lot of things going against [McLaren] at the moment.”

A picture that Tander says they are basing on just one standalone race weekend.

“I thought their take as very odd, the way that they have rated Oscar’s season so far,” he said. “He’s only five points behind Lando. Oscar didn’t have a great weekend at Barcelona, but that’s one weekend.”

In fact, he reckons Piastri is still very much in the hypothetical conversation for Max Verstappen’s Red Bull seat should the Dutchman leave the team.

“Say, for example, hypothetically, Max Verstappen leaves Red Bull and he goes to McLaren and he takes Oscar Piastri’s seat because his stocks are so low — according to those two,” he said. “Who do you reckon is the first person Red Bull are going to call?

“They’re only going to call one person to fill Max Verstappen’s seat. Who do you reckon that might be? Oscar Piastri.

“If a seat became available at Mercedes that Max Verstappen isn’t filling, who do you reckon they’re calling? Oscar Piastri.

“His name will be at the top of every team’s list if there was availability to get him. I don’t get that take at all.”

Is Oscar Piastri’s stock waning?

If it is, then so too is Lando Norris’.

Piastri and Norris both have an electrical-related Did Not Start on the board.

And both have two non-scores to their name.

Norris retired in Canada and Monaco due to technical issues, while a surge of power on his way to the grid caused Piastri to wheelspin into the barrier in Australia, and a botched tyre strategy from McLaren cost him in Canada.

Drivers’ fault? Perhaps Australia was a bit on Piastri’s part, but it was the first race with the all-new engines, and he wasn’t the only energy-related crash of that weekend – nor the weekends that followed.

Piastri and Norris also each have two podiums, one runner-up and one P3 apiece. And each has two P5 results.

They are separated by their Sprint performances alone, and no one is saying Norris is past his sell-by date.

Unfortunately for both drivers, McLaren has been off the boil in the opening race weekends of the new era. The team has been undone by engine and battery issues while both Piastri and Norris have called for more downforce for the MCL40.

And as everyone in Formula 1 knows, unless you’re Max Verstappen, you are only as good as your car.

And even Max is struggling this year.

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