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Villeneuve: If I were Red Bull I would have been angry with myself

Villeneuve: "If I were Red Bull I would have been angry with myself"

03-08-2020 20:50
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GPblog.com

With a bit of luck Max Verstappen came second last weekend, but if Hamilton had had a flat tire just a little earlier, Verstappen could even have won. What stopped Verstappen from winning now was because Red Bull called him in for a new set of tyres. A capital mistake of the team, says former F1-driver Jacques Villeneuve.

Tires were still fine

Tire expert Kees van de Grint said in an interview that Red Bull Racing had made the best decision at the time. Also because there was a risk of a flat tyre at Verstappen. Jacques Villeneuve is diametrically opposed to that. According to the Canadian he would never have brought Verstappen in if he had been the team boss.

At Sky Sports Italy Villeneuve says: "If I were Red Bull I would have been really angry with myself after the race. The tyres of Verstappen weren't as bad as those of the Mercedes at all". In other words, Verstappen could have continued driving and moreover, Villeneuve states that Red Bull could have estimated that the same would happen at Mercedes.

"If you see that Bottas' tire breaks, you know it could happen to Hamilton. At that point you have to take a risk as a team and not go for that extra point. You then really have a chance of victory," he said. What would be the right decision is difficult to determine, because there is enough to say for both scenarios.

Bottas will not pass Hamilton

Villeneuve also gives up on Valtteri Bottas, who in his eyes can never really make a fist against Hamilton. "I don't understand why Bottas goes off the gas in the first corner instead of continuing the attack. You have to make a fast choice, but at those moments you see the lack of aggressiveness."

In the eyes of Villeneuve, Bottas is not a real competitor and the only thing that can stop Hamilton from becoming a champion is a corona infection. "Hamilton must have the same thing as Perez, because if you miss races then it will be another story for the world title." But it goes smooth for Hamilton at the moment and "with that bit of luck in his pocket it can hardly go wrong anymore."