Jones won the world title with Williams in 1980, making him one of only two Australians to have claimed Formula 1’s ultimate prize.
Piastri currently heads the world championship standings after three race wins from five starts in 2025.
It’s the first time in his burgeoning career that he’s topped the table, making him only the fourth Aussie to do so after Sir Jack Brabham, Jones, and Mark Webber.
“He is without a doubt a future world champion,” Jones told The Back Page.
“He’s come out of almost nowhere and he’s got all the attributes that you need to be a world champion.
“Like any Aussie, it’s been fantastic.
“If you can tune into any sporting event and there’s an Aussie who’s a frontrunner or has a chance at achieving victory, it just makes it that much more interesting for you.”
McLaren has proved the team to beat in the early rounds of the season, with Lando Norris having started the campaign off with victory in Australia.
It’s been tougher going since then for the Brit, with mistakes in qualifying costing him grid spots before a crash in Saudi Arabia left him only 10th.
While he recovered to fourth at the chequered flag, Piastri won the race after refusing to be out-muscled by Max Verstappen.
“He sees a gap and goes for it, and Oscar is not going to be put off by that,” Jones said of the Dutchman’s aggressive tactics.
“There’s a lot of other drivers he’ll bluff and hold them to ransom a bit, but I believe Oscar has got the mental strength not to put up with that crap.
“He’ll just take it for what is and give it back to him.”
Piastri’s Jeddah success has put Norris on the back foot against a teammate who has won three of the last four events.
The Brit has, at times, cut a sullen figure in the F1 paddock and has spoken openly about his mental approach to the sport.
That prompted Jones, who fostered a fearsome reputation as a no-nonsense, hard-nosed racer, to describe the 25-year-old as “weak.”
“The first person you’ve got to beat is your teammate,” Jones insisted.
“[Piastri] can do [win the F1 title] this year, no question. At the end of the day, his teammate is weak.
“His teammate is quite quick, there’s no doubt about that, but mentally, I think he’s quite a weak person.
“He’s coming out with all this nonsense that he’s got a bit of a mental thing, he’s dwelling on some of the problems he’s had rather than the positives.
“When they start talking all that nonsense, you know you’ve got them.”
“Oscar is a pretty strong-minded young kid. I love him,” Jones added.
“He doesn’t show off, he doesn’t dance all over the place, he’s just a strong individual and that’s exactly what we need to get the job done.
“He’s got an old head on young shoulders. He’s very, very mature. He’s very laid back. He’s not easily ruffled, whereas I think his teammate is a little bit the opposite way.
“I think the teammate could be blown out quite easily and I think Oscar will take advantage of that. He’s got the brains and the strength to do that.
“He’s very laid back, he doesn’t say much and he gets on with it, which I love.
“Out of the car he’s quiet, but when he gets in the car he grows horns and that’s what you want.”
In a career that lasted from 1975 until 1986, Jones chalked up 12 grand prix wins and 24 podiums from 116 starts.
Piastri has already massed five race wins from just 51 starts, 14 of those netting a top three finish.
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