Villeneuve: Incompetence by F1 Stewards, people want consistency

The 1997 World Champion believes the decisions made at COTA will impact the outcome of the title race between the two.

The Turn 1 replay of Verstappen's Red Bull hanging the McLatren of Norris out to dry has probably been watched and rewatched a billion times by F1 fans as they dissect not only a decisive incident in the race, but one that may have impacted the F1 title race.

Speaking to the media team at CanadaCasino.ca after the US Grand Prix, Villeneuve did not mince his words: “The F1 Stewards made a mess. At the start does Max deserve a penalty for pushing Lando completely off the track? Yes. Let’s look at the incident where Lando was punished.

“Did Lando floor it when he was on the outside of the track? Yes, he did. Was he ahead at the apex? It’s difficult to see from the angle but possibly. Why was he off the track? Because he had been pushed off the track. He did gain an advantage but Max did not make the corner. They were both off.

“But why did Max not get a penalty? The rules are clear. When a car drives someone else off the track they get a five-second penalty. Both Norris and Max should have had a penalty. One incident does not excuse the other. That would have meant Norris third and Max fifth."

Before the race at COTA Norris had an uphill battle to outscore Verstappen at an average of 9 points in the remaining six races. After Sunday, with five to go, Norris now needs at least 11 points more than Verstappen in the next five weekends that remain in the 2024 F1 World Championship.

The points loss at this stage for Norris is a blow to his title aspirations reckons Villeneuve: “That is a big difference [in the points standings]. The stewards were not balanced. If you are going to be strict about the rules then apply them to everyone.

“It makes a huge difference and it has a real impact on the championship. If both had been penalised, Norris would have got two more points and Max would have four less and another extra two points for McLaren from Piastri. They did not even acknowledge that Max pushed Norris off the track. They did not even look at it. They were real amateurs.

"It was not about trying to help Max. It was just incompetence by the stewards to not see what was going on. People want to see consistency. It should not be based on the results of the action by a driver. It should be based on the action itself.

“Because Norris got an advantage, they penalised him while ignoring who started it all. They were two separate incidents. Both should have had five-second penalties. It is quite clear in the rules.”

Villeneuve then compared Verstappen's way of racing to Michael Schumacher, the Canadian's great rival in the mid to late nineties: “Max wasn’t and isn’t dirty. It was just braking too late and sliding. There was nothing purposely dirty. Not Max saying, ‘I will take you out.’

"There's a big difference between being aggressive and making a mistake and being dirty. They are very different things. With Michael there were conscious decisions to be dirty at times. That is a fact.

“You have to be careful with modern records and comparing Verstappen and Schumacher. In Schumacher’s day there were 16 or 17 races. Now there are 24. If you have a dominant car as Schumacher did, that car was dominant for 16 races not 24. That skewers the record," explained Villeneuve.

As for suggestions the FIA is favouring Red Bull, Villeneuve reckoned: “Nobody in life is 100 per cent neutral. You try to be, but it is just not possible. Human beings are not machines but I don’t think there is bias towards Red Bull. Toto Wolff doesn’t want Red Bull to win. He likes to stir things up for them. Mercedes didn’t have a very good weekend as a team.”

With GP victories out of reach for Verstappen since the Spanish Grand Prix, the Dutch ace has taken to playing the smart and patient game ventured Villeneuve: "Max is focusing on the championship, not on winning races anymore. All that matters to him is to get the same points as Norris or a few more or less.

"He is not trying to push and win races where there could be a mistake and he could lose more points. Norris is his only focus. That’s how he wins the championship. He knows he doesn’t have to go for it anymore and he doesn’t have the car to go for it anymore.

“That is not helping Red Bull though get more points towards the F1 constructors’ championship. Now they will probably finish third because they cannot rely on [Sergio] Perez and Ferrari are very close now," predicted Villeneuve in closing.