Villeneuve: Williams no longer a racing team
Villeneuve: Williams no longer a racing team
Former Williams driver Jacques Villeneuve has offered another scathing review of his former team as they continue to struggle at the back of the Formula 1 grid. After missing a good chunk of pre-season, Williams have begun the campaign with George Russell and Robert Kubica well off the pace of their rivals.
The Canadian is Williams' last world champion, having beaten Michael Schumacher to the 1997 drivers' title.
However, the team's fortunes have crashed since and they finished 2018 bottom of the constructors' championship and they are near certs to repeat that this year.
Villeneuve said Williams is "no longer a racing team", something he attributes to their floating on the stock market.
"Its leaders are paying for the bad decisions made in recent years," he told Le Journal de Montreal.
"It's a public entity that must report at the end of the year, and all they have to do is make a profit, which they have done. So they are fine.
"But if the company made $16 million in 2018, it is because not enough was spent on the racing team. The president does not want to win in F1, he just wants to make sure he makes the most for the shareholders.
"That's all that matters now."
Liberty Media hope a proposed budget cap will help level the playing field, but Villeneuve blew that out of the water.
He added: "If you're asking for a budget cut at, say, 100 million (US dollars) a year, what's going to happen?
"Mercedes, for one, will certainly spend the 100 million, but mid-pack teams, like Haas, Alfa Romeo and the others, will spend only one-fifth of that sum to stay fifth or sixth.
"It will not help F1. It's bullshit, if you want my opinion. I'll tell you what's going to happen: the smaller organizations will put more money in their pockets."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Newey set to announce STUNNING Red Bull departure
- 3 hours ago
Newey Red Bull exit wish CONFIRMED as F1 guru's reasons revealed
- 13 minutes ago
F1 legend reveals 'FLOOD' of death threats after controversial decision
- 1 hour ago
Adrian Newey: The life and career of Red Bull's motorsport Michelangelo
- 1 hour ago
Sky Sports F1 pundit dumbfounded by key Ferrari decision
- 2 hours ago
- 2
Talented young F1 prodigy set to make series DEBUT
- Today 16:57
Related news
F1 champion claims team may WRITE OFF Chinese GP sprint race
Schumacher fires scary message at F1 team boss as worst fears CONFIRMED
F1 team hire former Man Utd and Chelsea supremo
F1 team boss makes SHOCKING chassis revelation
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860