Jacques Villeneuve strongly condemned Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s decision to bring his classmates into the Imola paddock during the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend. The former Formula 1 world champion did not mince words to express his disappointment, emphasizing how such a choice is unprofessional for a driver in his first year in the top category.
Jacques Villeneuve explained his point of view to the media present in the paddock, sending a direct message to Antonelli: “It was nice, he brought his friends, but this is his workplace. He shouldn’t have done it. He needed to focus on racing.”
The accusation to Kimi Antonelli: “The paddock is your office, not a place for friends or family”
The Canadian ex-driver also revealed that even within Mercedes, the team with which Kimi Antonelli is under contract, the choice would not have been well regarded: “I heard from people who work with him at Mercedes: they were not very happy about this because it takes time away.”
The key point, for Villeneuve, is that the paddock must remain an environment focused solely on competition: “It’s the same situation as when you have your whole family and friends around you. No. This is your office. You don’t want any distractions.”
According to Jacques Villeneuve, the presence of friends also had a tangible impact on his on-track performance: “You need to concentrate on racing, and this affected him on Friday on track. Then from Saturday he seemed to improve but it still had an impact.”
Finally, the 1997 world champion reiterated his message with a clear and stern phrase: “You have to remember: this is your office, you don’t bring friends or family to the office.”
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