By akademiotoelektronik, 23/10/2022

For Villeneuve, the penalties will spoil the Hamilton/Verstappen duel

Jacques Villeneuve said that the commissioners were wrong to punish Max Verstappen for his contact with Lewis Hamilton in Monza, insisting that too many penalties could have a harmful effect on the race.

After the Grand Prix of Italy 2021 marked by the spectacular hanging between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, the sports commissioners estimated that the Red Bull driver was solely responsible and therefore inflicted a penalty of three positions on the starting gridFrom the Russian Grand Prix, the next round of the 2021 season, which will be disputed at the end of September.

Jacques Villeneuve for his part considers that the commissioners were influenced by the consequences that the causes last Sunday in Monza.

"Max shouldn't have been punished."Said Villeneuve in the columns of the Italian newspaper Corriere della will be.

"In Monza, they played two.Max was aggressive: he could have cut the chicane, but then he should have abandoned his position.Lewis for his part could have left 10 cm more, but he wanted to stay in front.»»

"It looked more like an intention, you cannot punish someone thinking that they did it on purpose when the contact takes place a few meters before the maneuver becomes intentional.They inflicted the penalty to him because a wheel has passed over the head of Lewis Hamilton, therefore, for the consequences of the action ... They already said that we should not judge on the consequences of the action, but that's what they did.»»

When asked what he thinks in this case of the ten -second penalty inflicted on Lewis Hamiltone in Silverstone earlier in the season for having sent the Red Bull of Verstappen to the barriers, Villeneuve replied: "IDon't know, it was also an involuntary maneuver.»»

"It was a mistake and it bothers me to see the errors punished.These two cannot remain within the limits, Lewis generally does not make these mistakes, it only happens to him with Max.»»

"Verstappen is always very aggressive, with Hamilton he is even more aggressive.If you put them together in the same turn, they exaggerate, but these moments are part of F1.If each time a penalty is triggered there will be no more competition because no one will try to exceed.»»

Villeneuve cannot help looking back and simply notes that in his time there were no such sanctions inflicted on the pilots: "There were no such sanctions.But it was different, we exceeded inside.Now they block you in the straight line, they move, you have to take extreme risks to pass and you can make mistakes.It is therefore difficult to establish responsibilities, in Monza they were not clear.»»

"Michael [Schumacher, editor's note] was the first to commit certain faults, then many followed him.Now everyone does it and it becomes very dangerous.»»