Latest news with #JacquesVilleneuve
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- News.com.au
‘Nasty' Oscar Piastri act called out by former world champ
Lando Norris accepted the blame, but outspoken 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve says Oscar Piastri is not entirely without fault for the bundle between the two McLarens in Canada. The dig at the world championship leader is the latest chapter in Villeneuve's book of disdain for Australian drivers after his regular targeting of Daniel Ricciardo. Like his scathing assessments of Ricciardo during the twilight of his F1 career, the Canadian's opinion on the Norris-Piastri incident is sure to raise eyebrows. As the two McLarens hunted a podium place in the dying laps of the Grand Prix won by Mercedes' George Russell, Norris crashed into the back of Piastri after anticipating a gap would open up on the inside of the first turn. The Australian held his line however, Norris lost control, and slammed into the pit wall, wrecking his car and his race with three laps remaining. Piastri drove on unscathed and held on to finish fourth, widening his gap over Norris in the drivers' standings to 22 points as a result. The Brit immediately apologised on the team radio before making the walk of shame back to the garage. Post-race, he reiterated those words to Piastri face-to-face, and then stressed his sorrow once again in his press conference. McLaren CEO Zak Brown thanked Norris publicly for his 'candour', while Piastri said his teammate's willingness to admit his error was a great quality to have. Team principal Andrea Stella, meanwhile, said Norris made a 'misjudgement' that 'should have not happened'. The FIA stewards placed the responsibility for the incident firmly on Norris' shoulders too, slapping him with a redundant five-second time penalty. The views of everyone directly involved contradicted those, however, of Villeneuve, who couldn't resist yet another chance to target an Australian driver. 'The clash between the two McLaren drivers, [it was] easy to point the finger at Norris,' he said. 'He realised too late that Piastri was moving towards the left because he had his nose in the gearbox of Piastri, he didn't realise it and Piastri was edging gradually towards the left. 'He's not supposed to be doing that, it was a little bit nasty, so there will be some talks later inside the team.' Esteemed F1 commentator Martin Brundle was another who reiterated that Norris was at fault, and respected Piastri's tactics. 'Oscar did well to see the first move coming because Lando was a long way behind when he launched it into Turn 10,' he told Sky Sports. 'Lando probably thought he got him because Oscar was at an acute angle into the final chicane and tight and wide. Oscar wasn't being particularly kind to him, but then why should he? Lando seemed to persevere down that left-hand side when it wasn't on. 'I don't think it was anything other than not recognising early enough that it wasn't going to happen, followed by wiping his front wing on his rear tyres. It was just very clumsy and sort of unnecessary.' Fans on social media love pushing the bold claim that Villeneuve — who was once engaged to pop singer Dannii Minogue — holds resentment towards Australians. His comments about Piastri come after whacking Jack Doohan following his crash in practice in Japan earlier this year, as well as his long-running feud with Ricciardo. Things got 'personal' between Villeneuve and Ricciardo at last year's Canadian Grand Prix when the 54-year-old responded to a question on Sky Sports during Friday practice about Ricciardo's future, by asking 'Why is he still in F1?'. Villeneuve went onto torch Ricciardo's whole career even more harshly. 'He was beating a [Sebastian] Vettel that was burnt out, that was trying to invent things with the car to go win and just making a mess of his weekends,' he said. 'Then he was beating for half a season [Max] Verstappen when Verstappen was 18 years old, just starting. 'Then that was it. He stopped beating anyone after that. 'I think his image has kept him in F1 more than his actual results.' After qualifying in fifth that week, Ricciardo then told ESPN that Villeneuve was 'talking s***'. 'I still don't know what he said, but I heard he's been talking s***,' he said. 'But he always does. 'I think he's hit his head a few too many times, I don't know if he plays ice hockey or something. 'I won't give him the time of day, but all those people can suck it.' Australians are not the only ones in the opinionated former driver's sights however, as he also took aim at race officials for denying fans a more exciting finish in Canada. The race ended under a Safety Car because of the McLarens crash, and Villeneuve suggested that a red flag should have been waved instead. 'What could have been, should have been an exciting race, turned into a not-so-exciting race,' he said. 'The end of the race – I mean, the rules allow for red flags so we can have a new start for a two-lap sprint, always exciting, and they decided to have a boring safety car finish. Well, too bad.' McLaren team boss Stella said the team 'appreciated' Norris' response to the crash. With the two drivers vying for world championship honours, there could be more incidents of its kind to come in the remaining 14 races. Stella believes the internal rivalry will only make the team stronger. 'We did appreciate the fact that Lando immediately owned the situation, raised his hand, and took responsibility for the accident,' he said. 'He apologised immediately to the team. He came to apologise to me as team principal in order to apologise to the entire team. 'It's important the way we respond and we react to these situations, which ultimately will be a very important learning point. 'I don't think it's learning from a theoretical point of view, because the principle was already there, but it's learning in terms of experiencing how painful these situations can be, and this will only make us stronger in terms of our internal competition and in terms of the way we go racing.'
The Citizen
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
South Africa's premier automotive event returns to Kyalami
The Festival of Motoring, returning to the iconic Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, has established itself as Africa's largest industry-supported auto show. Since its inception, the festival has sought to foster a vibrant automotive community, where industry leaders, passionate car enthusiasts, and those seeking their dream vehicles can come together for three days of excitement and family fun. Scheduled for August 29–31, visitors can expect an impressive exhibition featuring over 100 exhibitors, showcasing a wide range of automotive products, services, lifestyle offerings, and custom vehicles to cater to everyone's preferences. Also read: Popular car show, Angela's Picnic, returns to Riversands Farm Village this April Attendees will have the opportunity to experience the thrill of driving various cars around the dynamic self-handling track, or tackle the dedicated 4×4 off-road course. In addition to the automotive excitement, a hub of delicious food and entertainment will be available, ensuring an unforgettable experience. Read more: Former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve backs SA's bid to host Grand Prix At its core, the Festival of Motoring represents a vibrant gathering of automotive enthusiasts from over 210 cities and towns across South Africa. Throughout the three-day event, more than 10 000 test drives, conducted by professional drivers, will be offered. Locals can visit the link to purchase tickets: Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration! Have a story idea? We'd love to hear from you – join our WhatsApp group and share your thoughts! At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Jacques Villeneuve blasts ‘weak' McLaren for ‘really odd' F1 strategy
Jacques Villeneuve believes McLaren showed 'weakness' in their strategy late in the Emilia Romagna GP on Sunday. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished second and third respectively for the papaya, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen claiming his second win of the season. Yet after a late safety car and with Norris, in third, on fresher tyres than Piastri ahead, McLaren opted not to immediately allow Norris by to chase Verstappen out in front. Instead, Norris made a somewhat inevitable overtake a few laps later, by which time Verstappen had a four-second lead. Villeneuve, on punditry duties for Sky Sports F1, was critical of McLaren's 'really odd' approach to the finale in Imola. "They [McLaren] show weakness, they don't show the strength that Red Bull are always showing year after year,' said 1997 F1 world champion Villeneuve. "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. "Piastri messed up that first corner. 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. "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. "100 per cent sure he would get ahead, so why make him lose three laps instead of giving him a shot at Verstappen?" Verstappen now only trails championship leader Piastri by 22 points, despite McLaren clearly possessing the fastest car. "Verstappen is in for the championship, you don't want to give Verstappen wins,' Villeneuve added. 'That's more points for him in the drivers' championship. "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. First and third is fairly acceptable, but they seem happy with second and third.' F1 next heads to the traditional crown jewel event, the Monaco Grand Prix, this weekend.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
'Should never happen': Oscar Piastri under fire as F1 legend blasts 'weak' move
Oscar Piastri has admitted he made a mistake on the opening corner of the Emilia-Ramagna Grand Prix, which saw him lose the lead and race to Max Verstappen. The Aussie championship leader was gunning for a fourth-straight victory, but instead was left lamenting the genius of Verstappen. Piastri started the race at Imola on pole, but lost the lead almost immediately as Verstappen edged past him with a breathtaking move. The Aussie driver was then dudded by McLaren's tyre strategies, poor pit stops and an ill-timed safety car. Driving on old tyres late in the race, Piastri was forced to say goodbye to second place as teammate Lando Norris surged past him on much fresher ones. The Aussie was forced to settle for third, cutting his lead in the championship to 16 points from Norris. Speaking in commentary for Sky Sports, former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve said a pole-sitter "should never" lose the lead on the opening turn. 'Piastri messed up that first corner," he said. "He got caught out sleeping. He should never have come out of that corner second." Co-commentator Anthony Davidson said: 'I think he'll be kicking himself a bit for Turn 1 and Turn 2 through into Tamburello. When he looks back at that, I'm sure he'll be thinking he could have braked later, could have got my elbows out a little bit more. 'You have to be on your absolute A-game when you've got Verstappen bearing down on you in the first couple of corners. You know he's going to go for it.' Speaking after the race, Piastri conceded he messed up. "I thought I had it pretty under control. It was a good move from Max," he said. "I just braked too early. I definitely would have done something different. I would have braked about 10 metres later probably. I live and learn." Villeneuve was also critical of McLaren's strategy, labelling it "weak". McLaren had opted not to order Piastri to yield to Norris late in the race, which would have given the Brit a better chance to try and catch Verstappen. 'They show weakness basically,' he said. 'They don't show the strength Red Bull are showing year after year. It's as if they're afraid to be aggressive to try and win the drivers' championship and they're afraid to go against Piastri, it's really odd. "McLaren knew it was a matter of laps before Norris would overtake Piastri with the tyre difference. So why make him lose three laps instead of giving him a shot at Verstappen? Verstappen is in the championship (battle), you don't want to give him wins. That's more points for him. 'They (McLaren) seem to be happy with second and third. McLaren has a car where a good weekend is first and second. Anything less is barely acceptable, but they seem to be happy with second and third.' RELATED: Piastri responds amid explosive new twist in Aussie's F1 axing Officials make decision amid ugly allegations against McLaren Norris felt it was a fair call for McLaren to allow Piastri to try and maintain his spot. "I was on better tyres, but I didn't expect anything," he said. "It was still a tough fight. It was close into turn one. It's the way it should be, of course." Calling it "not our best Sunday", Piastri said there were "definitely a lot of things to look at and review after that", with the showpiece Monaco Grand Prix just a week away. "You're going have tough days in the championship, and this is clearly one of them. So as long as we learn the lessons, then that's all I can ask," he said. DRIVER STANDINGS AFTER 7/24 ROUNDSVerstappen closes the gap to the McLarens 👀#F1 #ImolaGP — Formula 1 (@F1) May 18, 2025
Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Mercedes 'not super happy' with Kimi Antonelli Imola act - 'Shouldn't do that'
Sky Sports F1 pundit Jacques Villeneuve revealed what he knew about Mercedes' stance on what young driver Kimi Antonelli arranged for his first home race at Imola Mercedes are said to be "not super happy" with Kimi Antonelli over his arrangement to bring school friends to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The teenager is revelling in his first experience of a home race in Formula 1 at the Imola track which he knows so well. Antonelli was born and raised in Bologna, the Italian city which is just 20 miles north-west of the world-famous race track. And he gets to race there for Mercedes in only his seventh Grand Prix as an F1 driver, at the age of 18. To mark the occasion, not only are Antonelli's family present but also he invited some of his school friends to visit the paddock over the course of the race weekend. "Yeah, I organised this," said the teenager. "Thanks also to some people at Mercedes. Rosa [Herrera Venegas, part of the Mercedes PR team], who's in the room as well, helped. We were able to organise this for the school. I think it's a good way for them to see with their own eyes this world. "They used to watch the races on TV, but didn't actually know what's going on behind it. I think it's a really good experience and I really hope they enjoy it. "We've organised some activities – later on I'll show them the car and explain a bit, without going too much into detail. It's a good way to keep the relationship because I don't spend much time at home, so I don't see them often. These little things can make the difference." While clearly Antonelli got the approval from some people in Mercedes, given he was assisted by Herrero Venegas on the organisation front, not everyone within the team is said to be thrilled. And that includes Gwen Lagrue, who is responsible for the development of Mercedes-backed drivers. According to Jacques Villeneuve, speaking as a pundit for Sky Sports F1, the Frenchman is not pleased about what he worried might be a distraction for the youngster. "It's cute, he brought his friends, but it's his office. You shouldn't do that," said 1997 F1 champion Villeneuve. "I've heard some interviews with Gwen Lagrue, who's been working with him at Mercedes and he was not super happy about this subject because it took away from his focus on the racing. It's the same thing when you have your whole family around, your friends. No, this is your office. "You need to focus on your racing and it had an effect on him yesterday. Seems better today, but it did have an effect. Just remind yourself, it's your office. You don't bring friends or family to your office." He might have had a point given Antonelli's uninspiring performances on Friday and Saturday. He was quite far off the pace of team-mate George Russell in practice and qualified only 13th for the race, while the Brit was able to put the other Mercedes on the second row of the grid in third.
