Jacques Villeneuve criticizes FIA: “You never know who will get penalized”
1997 world champion questions the federation’s approach after the Dutch Grand Prix
The Dutch Grand Prix once again highlighted the contradictory nature of the stewards’ and FIA’s decisions, often questionable or at least debatable, not only in the outcome but also in the time taken to reach them.
At Zandvoort, several controversial incidents occurred: Hamilton’s five-place grid penalty for Monza (a clear infraction before the race), the Leclerc-Russell incident which was reviewed after the checkered flag, and the controversial 10-second penalty imposed on Carlos Sainz for contact with Lawson.
Unpredictable decisions
Jacques Villeneuve focused on Carlos Sainz’s penalty, analyzing the FIA’s recent management in an interview with Sky Sport: “I really don’t understand the penalty given to Carlos Sainz. It’s true he was on the outside, and in these situations there’s always a risk—Lawson tried to push him off, but Sainz blocked him. Ten seconds is a lot, it ruins your race. Even giving the penalty in the first place seems excessive to me. If we look at Las Vegas 2023, Carlos was in a similar situation but reversed: he was on the inside, slightly sideways, touched another car, and got penalized. So according to that incident, here at Zandvoort the penalty should have gone to Lawson. The problem is, you never know who will get penalized, and that’s the issue.” – the Canadian pointed out.
Villeneuve also commented on Charles Leclerc’s overtake on George Russell: “At that point, Charles hadn’t closed the move on the outside, so he didn’t have to stay inside the corner afterward, because Russell was clearly looking to his right. He went a little wide during the direction change and didn’t see him. They touched slightly, but it’s a racing incident, nothing special.” – the former Formula 1 driver concluded.
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