1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve believes the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a “wake-up call” for Lando Norris in the title battle.
The race in Baku saw then-championship leader Oscar Piastri crash into the barrier in a self-inflicted mistake on the opening lap.
It presented a major opportunity for Norris, who entered the race 31 points behind Piastri in the standings.
However, Norris could climb no higher than seventh place in a difficult grand prix, ensuring he only took six points out of Piastri’s margin.
Norris has continued to outscore Piastri at every race since, and following a dominant drive to victory last time out in Mexico City, he moved back to the lead of the standings for the first time since April.
Speaking to the Sky F1 podcast, Villeneuve hailed Norris’ performance and believes his recent run of performances stems from the difficult result in Baku.
“It was a statement weekend,” Villeneuve said.
“[It was like] the weekends we are used to seeing from Max. We saw a little bit from Lando last year when he was fighting Max.
“I guess the wake-up call for him was Baku, not reacting, not capitalising on a bad weekend from Oscar.
“And I think that put some cold water in his face, and he came back stronger, as if he was fighting Max last year.”
With four rounds remaining in the campaign, Norris now leads Piastri by one point in the standings.
Villeneuve has suggested Norris will be “unbeatable” en route to the title should he maintain his current form.
“He’s on a roll,” he said. “He made a step in Singapore, another step in Austin, and he was marvellous in Mexico.
“When a driver gets in that zone, they become unbeatable.”