Formula 1 Emilia Romagna GP
Jacques Villeneuve accuses McLaren of being weak
McLaren was defeated by Red Bull and Max Verstappen in the Imola F1 race
Ben Hunt
Edited: May 19, 2025, 2:29 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Jacques Villeneuve has accused McLaren of being weak when it comes to fighting with Red Bull.
The 1997 Formula 1 world champion has taken aim at the Woking-based team after Max Verstappen swooped past polesitter Oscar Piastri on his way to victory last weekend in the Emilia-Romagna GP.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner spoke about his surprise at how much of a pace advantage Verstappen had over Piastri and Lando Norris.
Read Also:
McLaren labored over swapping Norris and Piastri around in the race, with the Aussie on an older set of tyres, and Villeneuve believes lacking that ruthlessness is now costing McLaren points.
He told Sky Sports F1: "McLaren show weakness. Basically, they don't show the strength that Red Bull are always showing year after year.
"It's as if they're afraid to be aggressive in trying to win the drivers' championship, and they're afraid to go against Piastri. It's really, really odd.
Read Also:
"Piastri messed up that first corner. He got caught out sleeping. He should never have come out of the corner second and then he didn't have the pace, which was odd. Norris had more pace.
"On the restart, McLaren knew that it was a matter of laps before Norris would have taken Piastri with the tyre difference, it was obvious.
"100 per cent sure he would get ahead, so why make him lose three laps instead of giving him a shot at Verstappen?”
Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photo by: Lars Baron / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
The Dutchman’s win sliced Piastri’s lead in the championship to 22 points while Norris’s second place is 13 points adrift of his team-mate.
Villeneuve says McLaren’s failure to prioritise any driver is now playing into Verstappen’s hands in the title race.
He added: "Because Verstappen is in for the championship. You don't want to give Verstappen wins. That's more points for him in the drivers' championship.
"They seem to be happy with second and third. McLaren has a car where a good weekend means first and second. Anything less is a bit disappointing.
Read Also:
“First and third is fairly acceptable, but they seem happy with second and third. That weakness thing. You can see it also in the strategy. When Norris went long, why do you pit him?
"You made the decision to go long. You stay on the track. Your pace is still good. So why pit a little bit early? It's as if you're afraid to go for it.
"They didn't take advantage of the virtual safety car. At the end of the day, with the other safety car, it didn't make a difference. But still, it shows that lack of 'let's go for it’."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Alex Albon: “I was licking my lips” for Leclerc attack, ‘thought I could even get Piastri’
Next article What happened to McLaren's pace advantage on Red Bull at F1 Imola GP?
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Ben Hunt
How Jonathan Wheatley wants Sauber to use F1 podium momentum in Audi transformation
Formula 1
Formula 1
British GP
How Jonathan Wheatley wants Sauber to use F1 podium momentum in Audi transformation
How Christian Horner’s Red Bull exit mirrored his F1 arrival and why he will be missed
Formula 1
Formula 1
How Christian Horner’s Red Bull exit mirrored his F1 arrival and why he will be missed
Keanu Reeves to star in new Cadillac F1 team documentary
Formula 1
Formula 1
Austrian GP
Keanu Reeves to star in new Cadillac F1 team documentary
More from
Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Villeneuve calls out Oscar Piastri after costly Azerbaijan GP error: "Rookie mistake"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
Jacques Villeneuve calls out Oscar Piastri after costly Azerbaijan GP error: "Rookie mistake"
Jacques Villeneuve defends Red Bull team orders call at F1 Azerbaijan GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
Jacques Villeneuve defends Red Bull team orders call at F1 Azerbaijan GP
Jacques Villeneuve delivers verdict on Esteban Ocon's F1 future
Formula 1
Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
Jacques Villeneuve delivers verdict on Esteban Ocon's F1 future
More from
McLaren
McLaren’s 2027-spec front wing is making its F1 car more predictable
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
14 h
McLaren’s 2027-spec front wing is making its F1 car more predictable
Latest news
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
3 h
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Feature
Discover prime content
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Formula 1
By Pat Symonds
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe