Jacques Villeneuve is taking aim at McLaren, saying that more aggression is needed to beat Max Verstappen in F1. The former driver and 1995 world champion did not spare Andrea Stella’s team from criticism. At Imola, it was a missed opportunity — this time due to Oscar Piastri. The overtake at the start was unforgivable, but Woking also made a mistake by not quickly giving Lando Norris second place in the closing stages.
The Imola Grand Prix marked Max Verstappen’s second win of the season. The Dutchman, currently third and twenty-two points behind Oscar Piastri — the championship leader ahead of Lando Norris by thirteen points — is firmly back in the title fight. In this 2025 season, Verstappen is the only driver to have beaten McLaren, who have won all the other Grands Prix (four for Oscar Piastri, one for Norris).
The four-time world champion is also Red Bull’s only real contender: Yuki Tsunoda, since joining Milton Keynes, has scored points only three times (Bahrain, Miami, and Imola), but always far from the top teams. Yet, even if Woking’s task seems easier, the #1 car on the grid is enough to throw both the pit wall and its drivers into crisis.
Jacques Villeneuve: “McLaren? It’s a weak team”
In an interview with Sky Sports, Jacques Villeneuve didn’t hold back in criticizing the team led by Andrea Stella: “McLaren is showing weaknesses. They can’t demonstrate the kind of strength Red Bull brings to the track year after year. It almost feels like they’re afraid to be aggressive in fighting for the championship, and they don’t have the courage to stop Oscar Piastri. It’s really, really strange.”
“Oscar Piastri made a mistake at the first corner, he fell asleep. He should never have lost that position and afterwards, he had no pace — another strange thing. Lando Norris was faster than him. At the restart [after the Safety Car], they knew it was only a matter of time before Norris overtook Oscar Piastri, given the difference in tyre compounds.”
“It was 100% clear he would get by, so why waste three laps behind Oscar Piastri instead of letting him chase Verstappen? He’s fighting for the title — you can’t give away victories like that. Those are more points for Verstappen in the standings. They seem happy to finish second and third, but they have a car that should be delivering one-two finishes. Anything less should be disappointing.”
“This is a matter of weakness. You can also see it in the strategy: if Norris extended his stint, why pit him? You’ve made a decision, stayed out on track, and have good pace. Why stop? It looks like they’re afraid to really go for it. They lack initiative.”
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