In the last few weeks, McLaren has come under a lot of criticism. The team has been making some questionable strategic decisions that have cost them points. During the last race in Monza, things took a turn for the worse as another strategic error by the team cost them a potential 1-2 finish. Former F1 Champion, Jacques Villeneuve didn’t hold back while talking about the team’s decisions in the past weeks.
At the Italian Grand Prix, the McLarens were looking strong with a front low lockout after their performance at qualifying. As the Grand Prix started, Norris was able to retain the lead after the first set of corners. But as the drivers approached the 2nd chicane, Oscar Piastri attempted a risky overtake on his teammate. McLaren failed to provide team orders to help Lando challenge Max Verstappen for the Championship.
Jacques Villeneuve calls McLaren “pathetic”
This weekend, Jacques Villeneuve is making a presence as a reporter for Sky Sports. The former F1 Champion is quite popular for his ruthless opinions on the sport. This time, McLaren was under fire.
“I found it a little bit pathetic!” Villeneuve began
“This is F1. It’s the pinnacle. If I was a McLaren fan I’d be upset. Do they really want to win? Do they care? It doesn’t sound like they want to win.”
With Lando much closer to Max Verstappen in the Championship, McLaren should do everything to help the team win both Championships. From where things stand at the moment, Oscar Piastri doesn’t stand a practical chance of winning the Championship. Despite this fact, McLaren chose to treat both their drivers equally.
“It’s very utopia.” Villeneuve continued, “It’s beautiful, but you are here to win. It’s all that matters.”
“Lando got the better of Piastri for the first half of the season. He’s the one with a chance to win. You play by that rule. I really fail to understand this concept of, ‘This is how we work. It’s so beautiful. We’re much happier to finish second than to win. It’s weird.”
At the Italian Grand Prix, when Oscar overtook Lando in that second chicane, Lando was a bit more cautious as it was against his teammate. As a result, he lost momentum at the exit and eventually lost position to Charles Leclerc behind him as well.
“I find it a little bit pathetic, if I was a McLaren fan I’d be upset… it doesn’t sound like they want to win!” 🗣️
Jacques Villeneuve didn’t hold back on McLaren’s Papaya Rules philosophy 😲 pic.twitter.com/wsBwJN1CZa
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 13, 2024
“If it had been another driver in that chicane, he [Norris] would not have turned left as much, and he wouldn’t have gotten out of shape, they might have banged wheels, and that was it,” assessed Villeneuve.
“But because it was his team-mate, he wasn’t very aggressive in his defence, and that lost a secure one-two for McLaren.”
During the 2nd and 3rd stints, McLaren had an opportunity to let Lando get past but refused to do so as they wanted to maintain the equal driver status. However, McLaren team principal, Andrea Stella has stated that things will change from this weekend.
Andrea Stella to enforce team orders to prioritize Lando Norris
After facing criticism from fans and experts alike, McLaren has decided to take some action. Ahead of the Azerbaijan GP, Andrea Stella said that the team would be supporting Lando to win the Drivers’ Championship.
“We [will] bias our support to Lando but we want to do it without too much compromise on our principles,” team principal Andrea Stella said.
“Our principles are that the team’s interest always comes first. We want to be fair to both drivers.
“What we don’t want to see anymore is a situation like in Monza in which we enter a chicane P1/P2 and we exit P1/P3 because that is a detriment to the team.”
🚨 | McLaren has signalled it is preparing to impose team orders on Oscar Piastri to aid Lando Norris’s F1 title bid.
“We [will] bias our support to Lando but we want to do it without too much compromise on our principles,” team principal Andrea Stella said.
“Our principles… pic.twitter.com/0KNUceQ8eY
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 12, 2024
While the decision taken is right, it might be a bit too late. After the Italian GP, Norris is 62 points behind Verstappen. If Norris had won in Monza, he would have been only 52 points behind. Considering that there are only 8 more races to go, these 10 extra points would have made it much more plausible for Norris to win the Championship.
Do you think Lando Norris will be able to win the Championship this year? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
