Villeneuve slams McLaren strategy: 'Trying not to win'
Jacques Villeneuve tore into McLaren's tame strategy at the Japanese Grand Prix, going as far as to say... The post Villeneuve slams McLaren strategy: 'Trying not to win' appeared first on F1i.com.
Jacques Villeneuve tore into McLaren's tame strategy at the Japanese Grand Prix, going as far as to say they were "trying not to win".
McLaren, despite having the fastest car on the 2025 grid with the MCL39, were unable to claim pole position during Qualifying on Saturday.
Instead, it was the Red Bull of Max Verstappen who pipped Lando Norris to the top spot by just 0.012 seconds on his fastest lap.
The Suzuka International Racing Course proved particularly difficult to overtake on, with very few overtakes witnessed during the 53-lap Grand Prix.
This was the case for the top three, who remained in their starting grid positions at the finish line with Verstappen, Norris and Oscar Piastri in first, second and third respectively.
Cannot Just Be On The Defensive
This raised the question: why didn't at least one of the McLaren drivers attempt an alternative strategy to try and get past Verstappen?
Starting on the hard tyre or extending the initial medium tyre stint were discussed post-race as potential strategies that may have helped McLaren claim victory.
Sky Sports F1 pundit Jacques Villeneuve was disappointed that McLaren didn't try something different in terms of strategy. He said: "Why would you stop Norris, when your team-mate has already stopped?
"Why won’t you take a gamble? You have two drivers out there!" exclaimed Villeneuve after the race.
"It’s as if they’re trying to not win. You need a winning attitude when you want to win. You need to want to win. You cannot just be on the defensive.
"Panicking, being afraid of 'are you doing what might be right?'," added the Canadian former Formula 1 driver.
We Suffered A Lot Today
Norris, who still holds the Drivers' Championship lead by one point ahead of Verstappen, believes that he never had the pace to beat the Red Bull, no matter the strategy.
He said: "I felt at times we were quicker but it was not enough. We just didn't have enough of an advantage. Nothing to complain about but things we need to improve with the car as we suffered a lot today.
"I was quicker in sector one than Max [Verstappen] but the Red Bull is a lot quicker than us in slow-speed corners. It is too difficult to overtake here and our strengths and weaknesses were in the wrong spots," concluded the British driver.
McLaren nevertheless lead the Constructors' Championship, with a healthy 36-point lead over second-placed Mercedes.
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The post Villeneuve slams McLaren strategy: 'Trying not to win' appeared first on F1i.com.
