McLaren’s Team Orders U-Turn: Villeneuve Criticizes Timing Amid Contract Clause Controversy

The McLaren team’s reversal on their orders came too late, with contract stipulations likely influencing the situation. "I didn’t appreciate their interviews; they felt excessively political."

Jacques Villeneuve asserts that McLaren's decision to introduce team orders comes "too late."

McLaren showed up at this weekend's F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix having reversed their earlier 'Papaya rules' policy that encouraged tough yet fair competition between their drivers.

McLaren has announced that Lando Norris will receive priority support over Oscar Piastri in specific situations.

“It is justifiable. If Piastri were leading in the championship, the situation would have been reversed,” stated 1997 F1 champion Villeneuve to Sky Sports.

"It's unfortunate for him that he couldn't surpass Lando earlier this season. Now, things are in Lando's favor."

Villeneuve added, "You suffer the consequences of not being quick enough at the start of the season."

"Next season, the situation could be reversed."

"However, if you choose not to participate now, you can be sure that the team and the other driver will not cooperate in the next season."

Karun Chandhok expressed his opinion, stating, "You must choose a side. There's no certainty that McLaren will be competing for the championship next year."

“It’s possible that this is Lando’s sole opportunity to compete for the championship title.

"If their goal is to secure the drivers' championship, they need to fully support a single driver."

However, Villeneuve is not pleased with the timing of McLaren's recent change in strategy.

“It’s already too late,” he argued. “Plus, they still haven’t decided…”

Norris trails championship frontrunner Max Verstappen by 62 points as they head into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

McLaren is just eight points behind Red Bull, who are currently leading the constructors' championship.

Piastri has explained McLaren’s updated team strategy: “I won’t be stepping aside for Lando in every race.”

Norris emphasized that he doesn’t want any handouts to secure the F1 championship: “I don’t want to win a title that way. I aim to earn it by competing with Max, by outperforming Max and my other rivals.”

Contract provision expected to be influential

In the previous race at Monza, Piastri secured second place, finishing ahead of Norris without any team directives.

Piastri passed Norris on the first lap, making the race challenging for his teammate right from the beginning.

Jacques Villeneuve commented that it was a successful maneuver largely because Lando Norris did not put up a strong defense, likely because he wasn't anticipating the attempt.

"They were supposed to exit that turn with Lando leading and the other driver right behind him."

"Piastri's actions deviated from that, causing harm to the team."

"I wasn't a fan of their interviews. They were too focused on politics, and it's clear that the drivers aren't able to express their true feelings."

“The contract is the key factor. While they cannot prevent Piastri from pursuing individual victories, they can mandate that he supports the team in winning the constructors’ championship.”

Villeneuve suggested that Piastri’s stance would be: “I don’t need to forfeit the victory, and I won’t, as the contract safeguards me.”

“Mark Webber, who manages Piastri, did an outstanding job. Securing a top driver contract for a rookie is incredible! It’s unprecedented. Kudos to him.”

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