Join us for part 2 of Spin Casino's interview with Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Villeneuve: Liam Lawson is very arrogant for someone with such little experience, Lance Stroll’s performances have been lacklustre but he needs to embrace driving for Aston Martin
Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has questioned whether Liam Lawson has the right attitude to be Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull amid reports the New Zealander is replacing Sergio Perez for next season.
Speaking to Spin Casino, Villeneuve has also described Lance Stroll’s performances as lacklustre but that he needs to embrace the role he has at Aston Martin.
Q. It looks like Red Bull are replacing Sergio Perez with Liam Lawson, with confirmation expected today. Your thoughts?
JV - "It's a change that Red Bull needed to make. It was only getting worse. For whatever reason [Sergio] Perez just isn't in the right place at the moment and when that happens, change is needed. Things go wrong, it doesn't necessarily mean you're a bad driver but when it becomes such a heavy problem the team loses respect for you and nothing will go your way after that.
"It's understandable and it's needed but there must've been a clause in Perez's contract to allow them to make this change. It was probably very costly. We don't know what's in the contract but Perez had some of the best lawyers in the world protecting him and it must've been a strong and well-written contract as this has taken so long.
"The fact that Red Bull finished third in the Constructors' Championship whilst having a driver win the Championship himself is not good at all. When one of your drivers wins the Championship you should also win the Constructors' Championship, or at worst come second if it's a close battle between drivers. You should not come third. The difference was way too big for most of the season.
"And it's not because the car was solely designed for Max and the rest of the drivers struggled. Yes, the best drivers will have an influence on the car but the team won't favour one driver over the other. They just want to make it as fast as possible.
"Rumours of a $20 million pay-off to Perez would still be smaller than what Red Bull would lose by coming third in the Constructors' Championship again."
Q. How do you think Liam Lawson will fare up against Max Verstappen?
JV- "It's early to say. We've seen drivers move up to their main team and get burned really quickly. [Liam] Lawson has been quick and has done a great job in the main. His attitude is very strange, though. He's very arrogant for someone with such little experience. So we'll see how that attitude works with Max and within the team.
"If Lawson is quick and pushes Max, there will be friction. But if there is no friction, it means they are not winners. Nobody likes the young gun coming in and pushing you. It either makes you go faster or you throw your toys out the pram.
"New Zealand is not a country that brings huge value to F1 or brings sponsors. They wouldn't have considered that. They just want the best drivers."
Q. How would you assess Lance Stroll’s performances in 2024?
JV: “Lance Stroll’s performances have been lacklustre, but the Aston Martin looked difficult to drive and he clearly had a hard time driving it. It’s very hard to judge. It’s not been a good season for Lance, but it hasn’t been a good season for the team too.
Q. How does Lance Stroll silence the doubters?
JV: “Lance Stroll needs to silence the haters by embracing the fact that he is at Aston Martin, that’s the first step. He needs to make fun of it and be free in his role in the team. I had a chat with Stroll and he genuinely loves his racing, but it’s not apparent from the outside.
“Stroll needs the media and the fans on the team, and that can help to push him to be faster on the track. He’s still passionate about racing and he still loves it. It’s always hard when you’re racing for your dad. Stroll is confident he can make it otherwise he wouldn’t still be racing.”
