Lando Norris in Baku - Photo: Race Pictures

Villeneuve counters Norris' comments: 'That's not true'

10:54, 29 Sep

byTobia Elia

Jacques Villeneuve has responded to Lando Norris’s comments about his indifference to criticism.

'Everyone gets affected even when you don't want it to. It’s somewhere at the back of your mind because it makes you think'

- Jacques Villeneuve

Speaking to a betting site, the 1997 champion doesn’t believe Norris is immune to criticism, as the latter would like people to think: "That’s not true. There's not one driver, not one sportsman that says that.

It's a way of trying to keep the pressure away. Everyone knows what's being written. Everyone gets affected even when you don't want it to. It’s somewhere at the back of your mind because it makes you think.

The Canadian believes that Norris says this more as a form of self-protection than as something he truly thinks:"Lando says that to try and minimise it. You have to because you don't want it to affect you too much. Just saying that means it's affecting him.”

Norris trails his teammate by 25 points in the standings - Photo: RacePictures.

Norris admits brutal Red Bull truth after Baku outcome

In post-race comments following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Norris admitted Red Bull’s dominance at Baku. The Brit suggested that the Austrian outfit operated on “another level” through much of the weekend.

Norris also acknowledged a troubling reality for McLaren, revealing that the team had been off the pace compared with Verstappen and Red Bull all weekend.

With his seventh-place finish in Azerbaijan, Norris managed to gain six points on his teammate in the championship battle, but lost another 19 to Max Verstappen, who appears to be back in top form following the latest updates to the RB21.

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