Jacques Villeneuve, didn’t mince his words after the United States Grand Prix, where a dramatic clash between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at Turn 1 has raised eyebrows among fans and experts alike. Villeneuve, speaking after the race, believes the FIA stewards’ decision may have altered the outcome of the F1 title race, branding their actions as inconsistent and “incompetent.”
The controversial moment at the Circuit of the Americas saw Verstappen force Norris wide at Turn 1 in a high-stakes battle for third place, a move replayed countless times by fans dissecting the incident. Villeneuve, talking to CanadaCasino.ca, made his stance clear: “The F1 stewards made a mess.”
Villeneuve argued that Verstappen should have been penalized for pushing Norris off track: “Did Max deserve a penalty for pushing Lando completely off the track? Yes,” he said bluntly. But the controversy didn’t stop there. Later in the race, Norris received a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage by overtaking off-track, after Verstappen had forced him wide.
Villeneuve criticized the stewards for penalizing Norris while ignoring Verstappen’s role in the incident, calling it “incompetence” on their part. “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,” he explained. According to Villeneuve, had both drivers been penalized equally, it would have resulted in Norris finishing third and Verstappen dropping to fifth, with significant implications for the championship standings.
Before the race, Lando Norris needed to outscore Verstappen by an average of nine points per race over the final six rounds to stand a chance at the 2024 F1 World Championship. However, after COTA, that gap has widened, and Norris now needs at least 11 points more than Verstappen in the remaining five races.
Villeneuve stressed the importance of this points swing, stating, “It makes a huge difference and has a real impact on the championship.” He further lambasted the stewards for being inconsistent, claiming they were too lenient with Verstappen: “They didn’t even acknowledge that Max pushed Norris off the track… It was not about trying to help Max. It was just incompetence by the stewards.”
Villeneuve compared Verstappen’s racing style to that of his old rival Michael Schumacher, pointing out that while Verstappen wasn’t “dirty” in this instance, the move was aggressive and careless. “There’s a big difference between being aggressive and making a mistake and being dirty. With Michael, there were conscious decisions to be dirty at times,” Villeneuve remarked.
Despite the swirling controversy, Villeneuve dismissed the idea that the FIA was biased towards Red Bull, suggesting that human error rather than favoritism was to blame: “Nobody in life is 100 per cent neutral… but I don’t think there is bias towards Red Bull.”
Villeneuve also commented on Max Verstappen’s approach to the championship, noting that the Dutchman has shifted his focus from race wins to maintaining a points lead over Lando Norris. “Max is focusing on the championship, not on winning races anymore. Norris is his only focus. He knows he doesn’t have to go for it anymore,” Villeneuve said, acknowledging that while this approach is smart for Verstappen’s title bid, it’s not helping Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship.
As the 2024 season heads towards its climax, Villeneuve predicted that Red Bull could lose out in the team standings, especially with Ferrari closing the gap. “Now they will probably finish third because they cannot rely on [Sergio] Perez, and Ferrari are very close now,” Villeneuve concluded.
With only five races remaining, the controversial decisions at COTA may very well have shaped the course of the 2024 F1 title race, and Villeneuve’s sharp criticism has only intensified the debate surrounding the future of F1’s race stewarding.
