Jacques Villeneuve blasts McLaren for making strategy error with ‘flying’ Oscar Piastri

Follow us on Google Discover

Jacques Villeneuve was not a fan of how McLaren squandered the brilliant start Oscar Piastri made to the Japanese Grand Prix.

Piastri secured P2 at the Japanese Grand Prix, right behind Kimi Antonelli, who went on to win his second race this season.

Antonelli admitted he got lucky against Piastri, as the timing between Mercedes’ and McLaren’s pitstops made a big difference in the result of the race.

Who was your Driver of the Day from the Japanese Grand Prix?

Let us know in the comments!

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

As for Lando Norris, he had to settle for P5, after a thrilling battle with Lewis Hamilton, whom he passed towards the end.

McLaren reportedly kept Norris on the backfoot, with Oscar Piastri being held back by a strategy error far before the safety car was deployed.

READ MORE: Mercedes should be fearful of Oscar Piastri as Japanese Grand Prix data shows possible McLaren edge

Jacques Villeneuve questions why McLaren didn’t learn from Lando Norris pitstop

Jacques Villeneuve spoke on the F1 post-race show about the success McLaren had during the Japanese Grand Prix, and where exactly they went wrong.

More than the ill-timed safety car, Villeneuve questioned why McLaren chose to pit Oscar Piastri when they saw Lando Norris struggling on the hard tyres early on.

“Yes, and it looked like Piastri could have stayed ahead in front. They were managing their batteries in different areas on the track.

“It doesn’t look like the Mercedes way was the right way in the race. It was good to do lap times, because once he was alone, he was flying, but not in a battle, not in the field.

“So, the McLaren could have stayed ahead. What I did not understand is why pitting Piastri after having pitted Norris, the team should have realised that the new tyres didn’t work for two or three laps.

“So why don’t you read what’s already happened and wait an extra two or three laps because the undercut did not work. There was no point pitting first.”

READ MORE: Lando Norris is now at risk of ‘lingering side-effects’ after Mercedes battery issue hampers McLaren

McLaren score their first podium of 2026 at the Japanese Grand Prix!

How many will they grab in total this season?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Oscar Piastri claims he couldn’t have beaten Kimi Antonelli even without a safety car

Oscar Piastri spoke after the race and shared his relief about McLaren’s strong performance. Surprisingly, Piastri admitted he would have struggled against Kimi Antonelli even without the safety car.

“I think, very happy. I think we executed everything we could have today. To be honest with you, even without the safety car, I think Kimi was going to be hard to beat.

“Very happy, obviously, it’s been a tough start to the year. To come out with P2 and feeling like we had a chance of a win, it’s pretty special.

“I’m very proud of everybody, I think we did a really good job this weekend getting the most out of everything we could have and got the results we deserve.”

Regardless of the outcome, McLaren will be thrilled with this result, as they showed a proper understanding of the power unit, allowing them to be competitive for the first time this season.