Villeneuve thought it was ridiculous: 'Wasn't Formula 1, but rental karting'

The street circuit in Jeddah made for an eventful race. There were incidents, red flags, safety cars in all shapes and sizes and restarts. On the other hand, Formula 1 and Formula 2 showed that there are certainly possibilities to overtake and that exciting scenes can arise. Still, the former world champion is dissatisfied. "It wasn't F1, it was rental karting. Everything was wrong. So I'm not sure what to say.  If you want a Hollywood show, today was amazing. But is that what F1 is all about? I don't know. "

During the Grand Prix, the team bosses were also clearly present. Several on-board radios between the FIA, Mercedes and Red Bull Racing showed that all sorts of things were going on during the red flags. The team bosses have become a sort of actors in the show according to Villeneuve: "And then when you see the team principals, everybody is shouting, and putting pressure even on the marshals and so on, that become ridiculous. It really has become ridiculous."

'We're getting away from the sport'

The chaos did cause many fans to be excited about the track. It's super for the sport, but in the meantime it's less and less like it used to be. "But we're starting to get away from the sport, that's all. I mean, I think today Frank [Williams] would have turned in his grave, seeing this race." The former Formula One driver is hoping for a quieter weekend in Abu Dhabi, but above all he does not want a repeat of what he saw in Jeddah. "And may the best man win, and not anything like today, not Hollywood, at least not in the last race. We already got our Hollywood hits this year."