Jacques Villeneuve criticises McLaren’s passive strategy at Imola and remains unconvinced by Ferrari’s progress despite a strong race showing.
Villeneuve took aim at McLaren for their handling of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, where the team finished second and third.
The Canadian criticized what he sees as a “weakness” in the reigning Constructors’ champions, claiming they lacked the “aggressiveness” needed to go for the win at Imola.
Max Verstappen claimed his second victory of the season thanks to a sensational move at the start, overtaking Oscar Piastri on the outside into the first corner.
However, the Red Bull driver was significantly helped by what Villeneuve described as the Australian being “caught sleeping.”
Following the safety car restart, the Woking-based team opted not to swap positions between Piastri and Lando Norris, even though the latter was on fresher tyres.
By the time Norris overtook his teammate, Verstappen was already out of reach. That decision—or lack thereof—left the 1997 Formula 1 World Champion puzzled.
“They’re showing weaknesses, major weaknesses. They don’t demonstrate the decisiveness that Red Bull shows year after year. It’s as if they’re afraid to be aggressive in their pursuit of the Drivers’ Championship and to confront Piastri by favouring Norris. That’s really weak and strange.”
“Piastri missed the first corner. He was caught sleeping. He should never have come out of the corner in second place and he didn’t have the pace, which was odd.”
“Norris had more pace. On the restart, McLaren knew it was only a matter of laps before Norris would get ahead of Piastri due to the tyre difference, it was obvious.”
“I’m 100% sure Norris would have taken the lead, so why waste three laps instead of giving him a shot at Verstappen, since Verstappen is fighting for the championship.”
“You shouldn’t be giving Verstappen victories. That’s more points for him in the Drivers’ Championship.”
When it was suggested to the Canadian that McLaren seemed to be delaying the inevitable and managing Norris—who had hinted at team orders over the radio—he agreed.
“Yes, they seem content with second and third. McLaren has a car where a good weekend should mean first and second. Anything less is a bit disappointing. First and third is quite acceptable, but they seem satisfied with second and third.”
Ferrari’s Fightback at Imola Is a Positive Sign but Not Enough.
Villeneuve still harbours doubts about Ferrari despite an impressive race performance from the team.
Lewis Hamilton sounded optimistic in his post-race comments after Scuderia’s strong comeback. But Villeneuve remains sceptical about Ferrari’s chances when asked whether Imola could mark a turning point in their season.
“The poor qualifying positions weren’t down to mistakes; the pace just wasn’t there. Lewis’s comments after the race were encouraging, but you can’t just assume things can be turned around like that.”
“The race pace was much better, but if you qualify poorly it ruins everything. The whole car and the entire team still need to improve, especially in understanding the tyres over a single lap.”
However, Villeneuve was full of praise for Hamilton’s performance, which featured a remarkable comeback.
“We saw that Lewis is capable, he delivers whenever he can, just like he did in the race. That’s why you need to choose a driver like Lewis or Max [Verstappen], those drivers make the difference.”
- Discover More>Verstappen Tames Imola’s Pace but Red Bull Faces Monaco’s Grip Test
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