The 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has hit again at strategies Yuki Tsunoda has been performing higher in Method 1, suggesting Crimson Bull has been “overprotecting” him.
Though he's down 21-0 to Max Verstappen of their qualifying head-to-head, Tsunoda had one among his greatest performances thus far on the Mexico Grand Prix, with ‘simply' a 0.211s deficit to Crimson Bull's lead automobile as he went out in Q2.
Within the race, a delayed pitstop aimed toward hindering Verstappen's rivals value Tsunoda a probable ninth place – or a possible high six/seven, the Japanese racer has claimed – with Crimson Bull crew principal Laurent Mekies proudly owning as much as ‘killing a couple of factors [Tsunoda] would have scored on advantage'.
“Yuki had his greatest weekend in a very long time,” the Frenchman insisted. “We've mentioned that a couple of occasions, however it's true.”
Villeneuve, nonetheless, strongly disagreed with Mekies' stance on Sky Sports activities' F1 Present podcast.
“I do not perceive how a crew can say, ‘Oh, he is had a great weekend'. Higher than perhaps different weekends he is had, however is it a great weekend?” he rhetorically contemplated.
“He is nonetheless very far off his team-mate. He isn't bringing something to the desk both in tempo, factors for the crew, or serving to Max for the championship.
Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing, Yuki Tsunoda, Crimson Bull Racing
Photograph by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Photographs
“And he has quite a lot of expertise. We have seen the most effective of him, he is already on the best way down, so it appears that evidently they're overprotecting him for some motive.
“However no, you'll be able to't say that was a great weekend. It was perhaps his least dangerous, nevertheless it wasn't a great weekend.”
As Crimson Bull retains pondering choices to choose Verstappen's team-mate for F1's new technical period in 2026, Tsunoda's 5 seasons' price of expertise doesn't imply a lot to Villeneuve.
“All of us discuss, in a state of affairs like this, ‘you want expertise' – and sure, I agree, however you want good expertise,” the Canadian argued.
“It would not matter if a driver has 20 years of racing. If he wasn't good or adequate, he nonetheless will not be adequate, and he nonetheless will not show you how to to know the brand new laws. He nonetheless will not show you how to to develop and take a look at that automobile, so why would you set a identified amount that you realize will not be adequate?
“In that case, you may as effectively go for the younger rookie or left-field, take somebody and take an opportunity that can convey new power and a brand new thought course of to the crew. What you have already got, you realize it will not minimize it.”
Present Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar is the favorite to get the second Crimson Bull seat for 2026, following a formidable rookie F1 season that included a podium end at Zandvoort. He at present lies tenth within the standings, whereas Tsunoda is down in seventeenth, with 39 factors to twenty-eight.
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