F1 | Jacques Villeneuve criticizes McLaren: “The team must choose a number one driver”. Jacques Villeneuve believes McLaren must choose a clear number one driver.

F1 | Villeneuve against McLaren: “They must decide who is number one”

According to Jacques Villeneuve, McLaren must decide who their lead driver is now that Max Verstappen is becoming more threatening in the championship. The 1997 Formula 1 world champion criticized the papaya team, arguing that they cannot continue to give equal opportunities to both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris while Red Bull is closing the gap in the title race. Villeneuve expressed his view in an interview with OLBG.

“The difficult thing for Norris is that, if Verstappen gets closer and closer, the team will have to start favoring Piastri. He will then need to become the number one. We are essentially talking about a title fight between two different teams. It promises to be a tough battle, because we are dealing with the very best drivers in the world,” Villeneuve explained at the end of the Baku Grand Prix weekend.

McLaren could have done more

Villeneuve also pointed to specific moments where McLaren missed opportunities despite having the potential to achieve better results. For instance, he criticized the strategy at the Imola Grand Prix, when Lando Norris had fresher tyres but was not put in a position to overtake Oscar Piastri more quickly. In Villeneuve’s view, McLaren looks “too timid” when it comes to making bold decisions, whereas greater aggression is needed to compete with Red Bull on equal terms.

Verstappen is coming

Despite McLaren’s impressive performances so far this season, Villeneuve stressed that Max Verstappen remains a constant threat, ready to take advantage of every error.

“Verstappen is right on McLaren’s heels, he knows exactly where he is and where he needs to go. That makes everything easier for him. But when you are in front, you cannot see what is happening behind you. Sometimes you are tempted to look back, but you cannot afford to do that. Red Bull has turned things around and is showing strong performances under pressure. They are true fighters. Last year McLaren showed that they were not at that level yet, and this is something acknowledged internally,” said the Canadian champion.