Verstappen – Norris battle, ex-F1 world champion against McLaren: “If Lando loses the title, it will be their fault”. 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve on F1 battle title between Verstappen and Norris.

Lando Norris vs Max Verstappen
Lando Norris’s victory at the Singapore Grand Prix has boosted the young English driver’s chances in the F1 Drivers’ Championship. While it is true that at Marina Bay, Max Verstappen defended himself brilliantly, managing to finish second in one of the most challenging races on paper for his Red Bull (which is eagerly awaiting updates for Austin), it is equally undeniable that McLaren’s clear dominance opens up the opportunity for a much quicker comeback in the last six races of the season. And, perhaps, even some regret for the missed opportunities throughout the championship.

McLaren’s mistakes
This is at least what Jacques Villeneuve believes, who, in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca, criticized the Woking team for squandering points that would have been precious in the title fight today: “If Lando is not champion, then it will be McLaren’s fault, not his. They messed things up, and now it may be too late to recover. It all started in Hungary, where the team showed real weakness by not prioritizing Norris over Piastri. But I don’t know what’s written in Oscar’s contract… Mark Webber, his manager, is a smart guy. He was always on the wrong side of the Red Bull garage, even when he was beating Sebastian Vettel. And I’m sure he’s done everything to prevent history from repeating itself with Oscar.” – he pointed out.

Jacques Villeneuve believes in Max
The 1997 Formula 1 world champion then praised Max Verstappen’s attitude on the track, who, on the contrary, doesn’t make mistakes and races defensively to fend off Norris’s assault: “He’s changed his approach and no longer tries to win races at all costs but knows he must collect as many points as possible. This shows great maturity, because winning the championship is far more important than clinching a single race victory. And then he knows that McLaren won’t make the controversial decisions they should make, which surely works in his favor. Look at Monza, for example. It should have been a one-two for McLaren, but instead, they lost points as a team. That shouldn’t have happened because Norris is the driver fighting for the title. Anyway, Max now recognizes Lando as a threat, and it’s good that there is real competition. Just a little more from Lando is needed, but I think it will be an exciting end to the season.” – the former Formula 1 world champion concluded.