F1 legend wants qualifying BAN despite thrilling Canada GP session

F1, flag, 2023, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

Latest F1 News

F1 legend wants qualifying BAN despite thrilling Canada GP session

One F1 champion wants to see drastic action taken

Originally written by Rhys Thomas. This version is a translation.

Sunday 9 June 2024 17:00

Despite a thrilling Canadian Grand Prix qualifying, former Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has called for a ban on a certain qualifying feature.

George Russell claimed pole position in an unpredictable session on Saturday, with both he and Max Verstappen having exactly the same lap time.

Article continues under video

Villeneuve's father, Gilles, took six wins for Ferrari between 1978-1981, including at his home race in 1978.

The Montreal circuit was named after the driver in 1982 following his death after an accident at the Belgium Grand Prix earlier that year.

Jacques Villeneuve won the 1997 F1 world championship

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is named after Jacques' father

Does F1 need to make a DRS change?

The technology was introduced in 2011 to aid overtaking, though some believe that it has made passing on straights too easy.

The system is set to be scrapped in 2026, after the FIA announced new regulations would instead use 'active aerodynamics'.

“With DRS you don’t run low downforce ever," Villeneuve told Best Online Payout Slots. "You don’t need to make a compromise anymore between high and low downforce because you will have DRS to be quick in qualifying.

"Montreal runs with high downforce now. It is not complex. The amount of grip they have even in the low speed over the kerbs is high now.

“When it wasn’t it got a bit tricky. Maybe DRS should be banned in qualifying. Then they would be obliged to make some sacrifices, weighing up whether to be quick in the corners or quick down the straight. Now they don’t have to."

Ever since its introduction, DRS has had a mixed reception, and Villeneuve is critical of the system.

“DRS was a band aid plaster that should never have happened," he said. "All new fans are used to maybe 50 overtakes in a race but they are not good ones. It is more like overtaking on the highway. It is not memorable, it’s just easy.

"We get excited when we see an overtaking manoeuvre when it is not in the DRS zone like in Bahrain last year when Alonso overtook Lewis," the Canadian added.

"When we see some proper race-craft we get genuinely excited. They can’t get rid of it now but it should never have been there in the first place.”

Max Verstappen Ferrari George Russell Jacques Villeneuve