Sky F1 pundit Jacques Villeneuve didn’t hold back in his trenchant assessment of McLaren’s performance at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, branding the team’s approach as “weak” and lacking the killer instinct needed to topple Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The 1997 Formula 1 world champion tore into McLaren’s strategy and indecision after Verstappen’s audacious first-lap overtake on pole-sitter Oscar Piastri paved the way for a commanding victory, exposing what Villeneuve sees as a critical flaw in McLaren’s championship campaign.
With the Drivers’ Championship battle tightening, Villeneuve’s critique suggests McLaren’s reluctance to play hardball could hand Verstappen the edge.
For the Canadian, McLaren had the pace to win at Imola, but not the mindset.
“McLaren show weakness. Basically, they don't show the strength that Red Bull are always showing year after year,” Villeneuve said bluntly.
“It's as if they're afraid to be aggressive in trying to win the drivers' championship, and they're afraid to go against Piastri. It's really, really odd.”
Strategic Paralysis at Imola
The race saw Piastri lead from pole but lose out to Verstappen at the start – a moment Villeneuve viewed as a fundamental driver error.
“Piastri messed up that first corner,” he said. “He got caught out sleeping. He should never have come out of the corner second and then he didn't have the pace, which was odd. Norris had more pace.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.
With Norris clearly faster on fresher tyres, McLaren dithered in orchestrating a position swap, allowing Verstappen to build a gap at the front. To Villeneuve, this was symptomatic of a team too timid to fight for a title.
A mid-race Virtual Safety Car (VSC) and a later full Safety Car further exposed McLaren’s indecision. In the latter case, the team’s choice to keep Piastri out on older tyres and delay Norris’s overtake after the restart cost them a shot at the win, according to Villeneuve.
Read also: Stella on why McLaren pitted Piastri early in Imola GP“On the restart, McLaren knew that it was a matter of laps before Norris would have taken Piastri with the tyre difference, it was obvious,” he noted.
“One hundred per cent sure he would get ahead, so why make him lose three laps instead of giving him a shot at Verstappen?”
That hesitation arguably sealed the win for Red Bull. Verstappen now sits just 22 points behind Piastri in the standings, while Norris trails his teammate by 13 – a tight fight that Villeneuve fears McLaren is throwing away through indecision.
“They Seem Happy With Second and Third”
Villeneuve’s criticism extended beyond driver orders. He questioned the team’s broader strategic philosophy, especially their decisions around pit timing and failure to fully exploit the race’s shifting dynamics.
“Because Verstappen is in for the championship. You don't want to give Verstappen wins. That's more points for him in the drivers' championship,” he explained.
“They seem to be happy with second and third. McLaren has a car where a good weekend means first and second. Anything less is a bit disappointing.
©McLaren
“First and third is fairly acceptable, but they seem happy with second and third. That weakness thing. You can see it also in the strategy. When Norris went long, why do you pit him?”
“You made the decision to go long. You stay on the track. Your pace is still good. So why pit a little bit early? It's as if you're afraid to go for it.”
Villeneuve was especially puzzled by McLaren’s muted response to race-neutralising events like the Virtual Safety Car. Although it didn’t ultimately swing the race, he saw it as further evidence of a team not yet ready to fight at the top.
“They didn't take advantage of the virtual safety car. At the end of the day, with the other safety car, it didn't make a difference. But still, it shows that lack of 'let's go for it’.”
With McLaren boasting a car capable of fighting for wins, Villeneuve’s sharp critique is a wake-up call: having the machinery is only half the battle — it’s the mindset that wins championships.
And right now, in Villeneuve’s eyes, Red Bull is still playing the game with far more conviction.
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