If McLaren does not win the title this year, they will be solely responsible according to Jacques Villeneuve

It is a tense end of the season that is looming. While Formula 1 takes a three-week break after the Singapore Grand Prix and there are only six races left in this season, the driver’s title is far from being decided. With his victory in the last race on the Marina Bay circuit, Lando Norris has reduced the gap with his Dutch rival by 52 points, while there are still 180 points to be awarded, including the six races and the three sprints that are yet to take place in Austin, Brazil, and Qatar. However, the fact that the British driver did not score an extra point in Singapore for setting the fastest lap, as Ricciardo stole it from him in the final lap, changes the situation as Verstappen can now be champion if he finishes all races in second position, which he actually did in the last race.

Mistakes that are costly for McLaren this season

Villeneuve hailed the evolution of the Dutch driver, especially in his race reading, he who once sought to win at all costs, no matter the risks he had to take. Max has changed his approach. He no longer seeks to win races, but to accumulate points. This shows maturity. The championship is more important than winning individual races.

On the other hand, the Canadian driver claims that the substantial lead in the championship for the Dutch driver is mainly due to McLaren’s numerous strategic errors, which failed to make the right decisions at the right time. “If Lando is not the champion, it will be McLaren’s fault, not his,” explained the former driver to the media outlet RacingNews365. According to the former Williams driver, the Woking team took too long to implement team orders between its two drivers, a belated choice that could prove costly at the end of the season.

« McLaren made mistakes and now it’s too late. It all started in Hungary, they showed a real weakness by not giving priority to Norris over Piastri, but we don’t know what Oscar’s contract says. » While Verstappen was struggling in Budapest and Norris could catch up on points in the championship, the British team preferred to give the first victory to Oscar Piastri, who had led most of the race before finding himself behind his teammate after the final pit stops. Therefore, Norris had only recovered eight points on the Dutchman instead of fifteen.

A situation that then continued a few Grand Prix later according to Villeneuve. If you look at Monza, it should have been a double for McLaren. They lost points as a team and that should never have happened. Norris is the one fighting for the drivers’ championship. These errors could prove decisive. In Italy, McLaren did not ask Piastri to let Norris pass on the last lap even though the Australian, who was less well placed in the championship, was ahead of the Briton on the track. Another missed opportunity for Norris that day to take three additional points and get even closer to the current triple world champion.

McLaren should have favored Norris much earlier, according to Villeneuve.

A frustrating situation, especially since the British team has now had the fastest car on the grid for many Grand Prix races. That’s why the Canadian world champion declares that if Norris is not world champion this season, it will be more the fault of the team than the driver. He knows that McLaren does not make the tough decisions it should, and that will work in his favor. Lando is the one fighting for the drivers’ championship, but the team has not supported him as he deserved. At the same time, Villeneuve sees in Norris a driver capable of competing with Verstappen until the end of the season, which adds even more dissatisfaction to the former world champion.

« It will be very close between Max and Lando », he acknowledged. « Max knows that Norris is a real threat. Their battles on the track clearly show that the Briton is now considered a serious opponent by the reigning champion. This is the first real challenge the Dutchman has faced since Lewis Hamilton. » With six race weekends still to cover, nothing is yet decided in the championship. McLaren has indeed solved this problem since instructions will be given when Piastri finds himself ahead of Norris on the track. A choice that has certainly been delayed, but which can still offer Norris a chance to win his first world title.”