Former Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve believes something in Ferrari’s current structure isn’t working and it would be embarrassing for the team to lose second in the Constructors’ Championship.
It’s easy to forget that Ferrari started the year as the favorite to win both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. However, the team has utterly failed to build on that early season promise, and now face the ignominy of losing second place in the Constructor Standings to a resurgent Mercedes outfit.
In fact, it was Mercedes who broke Red Bull’s run of nine consecutive race wins at this past weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix further highlighting the opposing trajectories the teams seem to be heading in.
Villeneuve, who won the 1997 Drivers’ Championship believes that it something needs to change at the Maranello-based outfit following another year of disappointment.
“Should Ferrari lose the second spot in the Constructors’ Championship, that would be embarrassing,” Villeneuve wrote on his blog for Formule1.nl.
“They should have fought with Red Bull, there is something there that is not working. The decision-making in qualifying was also vague: [Charles] Leclerc says it’s not raining, but the team says it is. That came across as strange.
“As if there are robots sitting there just making calculations. By the way, let’s not forget that both [Carlos] Sainz and Leclerc drove a very strong race.”
Villeneuve calls out Verstappen
The Canadian also stated that he didn’t understand Max Verstappen’s thought process after the Dutchman refused to give up a position to teammate Sergio Perez, despite the team’s request to do so.
Perez is currently battling Leclerc for second in the championship, while Verstappen has already wrapped up his second consecutive championship.
“I can’t understand Verstappen’s reaction,” Villeneuve continued.
“Why is he bothered about sixth or seventh? It doesn’t change anything for him, for Perez as well as the team it does make a difference and he has helped him so much in the past. It wasn’t like Max had to give up a podium spot, as in the case of Sainz and Leclerc.”
