Former Champion Blasts McLaren For 'Papaya Rules' - 'Do They Really Want To win?'

Saajan Jogia | Sep 14, 2024

May 3, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; McLaren driver Lando Norris (4) races out of turn 17 during F1 Sprint Qualifying at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

In a recent interview, former Formula 1 champion and Sky Sports F1 pundit Jacques Villeneuve came down heavily on McLaren for the way it handled close battles between both its drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, leading him to question if the team really wants to win the championship.

Although Norris secured pole position for the Italian GP, Piastri made a bold move on the opening lap to overtake his teammate, sparking a battle between the two McLaren drivers for the lead. This tussle gave Ferrari's Charles Leclerc the opportunity to slip past Norris. By sticking to a one-stop strategy while McLaren opted for two, Leclerc stayed within striking distance and ultimately claimed victory.

Piastri is currently 106 points behind championship leader Max Verstappen. While overtaking Leclerc and Norris ahead of him makes a title shot seem unlikely, he still retains a mathematical chance of winning the championship. However, amid the chaos at Monza, McLaren came under heavy criticism for not holding the position of Piastri in second, leading Ferrari to take full advantage of the opportunity.

Had McLaren interfered through team orders, there was a high chance that it would have secured victory at the Italian Grand Prix and closed the gap further to Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship, which stands at eight points currently.

Speaking ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on the team's strategy to not declare a number one driver, Villeneuve, known for his candid opinions, told Sky Sports F1, as reported by FastestPitstop:

“I found it a little bit pathetic!

“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.”

Targeting McLaren for not pushing Norris forward at Monza, who trails Verstappen by 62 points in the championship, Villeneuve added:

“It’s very utopia.

"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.”

Referring to the Italian Grand Prix moment when Piastri passed Norris on Lap 1, he said:

“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.

“But because it was his team-mate, he wasn’t very aggressive in his defence, and that lost a secure one-two for McLaren.”