F1 News

Villeneuve with harsh words for Perez

Villeneuve has harsh words for Perez: 'Knows he's lucky he's still here'

7 June at 20:35
  • Estéban den Toom

Sergio Perez extended his contract at Red Bull Racing this week and will therefore be Max Verstappen's teammate for some time. Jacques Villeneuve understands the choice of the Mexican driver, believing that you should not have someone who wants to challenge Verstappen, he said on the day of the first two practice sessions in Canada.

"They’re not winning anymore. So they really need to get the ball rolling. And you don't come and change in a driver that would come in the team saying, ‘I'm here to beat Max’. That just wouldn't work. Perez knows his place now. He knows he's lucky to still be there. He knows he's in the shadow of Max and he will remain there. He's like Barrichello, Irvine at Ferrari at the time. But he knows his position. The team needs that," Villeneuve told Sky Sports.

Villeneuve on Sainz

Carlos Sainz sees Lewis Hamilton taking his place at Ferrari in 2025, so the Spaniard must look for a new employer. The 26-year-old driver is often linked to Audi, but all is not official yet. Besides, Audi will not enter Formula 1 until 2026, so Sainz still has to look for a bridging year.

For Sainz, a seat was never going to be there at Red Bull, Villeneuve believes. "I have the impression Sainz just waited too long on something that he knew was not going to happen. There was no way the Red Bull seat would open. There's been too much chaos over the winter. There needs to be stability. Christian Horner has done a good job of resetting the team now, keeping Max happy because they're not winning anymore," the 53-year-old Canadian told the circuit named after him.

This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy