Villeneuve Questions McLaren's Statement: 'Nobody Cares About Constructors''

Friday, 15 November 2024 at 10:00

Former F1 driver and 1997 Champion Jacques Villeneuve found McLaren's statements after the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix quite strange.

The most recent race - the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, pretty much decided the result of the 2024 Drivers' Championship. Although Max Verstappen still hasn't won on paper, something unprecedented would have to happen for the Dutchman not to win the title.

The triple World Champion beat his Championship rival, Lando Norris, in Brazil after starting 17 positions lower down the grid. Following the end of the race, McLaren's team principal Andrea Stella congratulated Verstappen.

However, he also said something that Jacques Villeneuve found pretty strange. Stella said that even though the Drivers' Championship seems to be lost, the Constructors' has always been the priority for his team, and therefore, nothing changes in that respect.

Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, the 1997 Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve suggested that was the "weirdest" thing McLaren team principal could say.

"McLaren said the weirdest thing after Brazil, and that was the team’s priority was not the Drivers' Championship but the Constructors’ title."

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"That is very odd. That's what teams that don't win say. Ok, the constructors' title brings you money. But nobody cares about the constructors."

"People only remember who the world champion driver was and the team was linked to that world champion. And ultimately in people's minds, that's the team that was world champion."

It is true that not many people remember that Mercedes, for example, won the Constructors' Championship in 2021. Most will only remember Max Verstappen with Red Bull coming out on top in the end. Villeneuve added:

"The constructors is only good on paper and for the extra money, it brings to the team. That's about it. Outside of the team itself nobody actually cares about it. To me, that shows that they didn't really help Lando out that much."