1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve believes that if Lando Norris does not become world champion this season, it will be McLaren’s fault as the team did not prioritize Lando for quite some time, causing the British driver to lose many points.
Jacques Villeneuve: “We are looking forward to a nice end to the season, because the fight between Max and Lando will be very intense. Max has already changed his approach: he no longer tries to win races, but just earn points. This shows his maturity. Winning the championship is more important than winning individual races.
Max knows McLaren isn’t making the tough decisions they should, and that works to his advantage. If Lando doesn’t become champion, it will be McLaren’s fault, not his.
McLaren has done a lot of things, and now it may be too late. It all started in Hungary when they showed weakness and didn’t prioritize Norris, allowing Piastri to win. But we don’t know what’s in Oscar’s contract.
We don’t know what clauses Mark Webber, his manager, included in the contract. He’s a smart guy. During his years racing with Red Bull, Mark was always in the worst position, even when ahead of Vettel. Sebastian has often been given priority and I am sure Mark will not let history repeat itself with Oscar.
At Monza, McLaren should have done the winning double, but the team lost points and this should not have happened. Of their drivers, only Norris is a contender for the title, and Max sees him as a threat. They’ve already had a few direct confrontations on the track, which is great, and Max now considers Lando a real rival. It is the first time since Lewis Hamilton that he has faced serious title opposition.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
