Jacques Villeneuve warns about the “dangerous expectations” for the 2025 F1 season after stunning fight in the second half of last season

Jacques Villeneuve, former F1 world champion, has laid out expectations for the 2025 F1 season and issued a caution. He opined that the upcoming season will be an evolution of the 2024 season as teams have already spent a significant portion of their budget cap on 2026 season preparations.

The 2024 F1 season was a roller coaster ride as Red Bull Racing's dominance was threatened for the first time in the last two years. McLaren closed the gap in terms of performance and pace. Moreover, due to correlation issues, the Bulls struggled to maximize the potential of their upgrades.

The Milton Keynes-based squad eventually lost the constructors championship and finished P3, below McLaren and Ferrari.

While the 2024 season saw numerous twists and turns, former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve expects the competitiveness to continue into 2025. Talking to Action Network, Villeneuve said (via Formula Passion):

“It’s dangerous because the expectations for 2025 are very high. Last year we had a very good second half of the season, and it was a surprise; no one expected it, and the end was exceptional. 2025 should continue along these lines, because a lot of resources have already been used by the teams for the 2026 season."

He added:

"2025 will be an evolution of 2024; no one will reinvent the wheel just for one season. This would have been possible in the past, before the introduction of the budget cap, but now we have to decide how to distribute the limited funds." (translated from Italian).

The 2025 season is likely to be eventful as the driver lineups of several teams, including Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull, have been significantly overhauled. Moreover, as many as five rookies are set to become full-time drivers, adding to the uncertainty around the season.

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Jacques Villeneuve delivers harsh verdict on Sergio Perez's Red Bull exit

Jacques Villeneuve criticises Sergio Perez (Image Source: Getty)

Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has come down hard on Sergio Perez after he was sacked at the end of the 2024 season. Perez, who had signed a two-year extension contract mid-season, failed to redeem himself and lost his seat for the upcoming season.

Meanwhile, Villeneuve criticized Perez during his interview with Action Network in January and said (via GP Blog):

"Sergio Perez should take the money and enjoy life. Endurance racing. F1 is done. He'll never get back. He was actually done, and then Red Bull took him. When Red Bull took him, that gave him a little spark; that gave him the hunger that made him (for a couple of years) go much better than he had been. Now it's extinguished."

Jacques Villeneuve's comments came after Perez finished 285 points behind his teammate Max Verstappen in championship standings. Red Bull Racing reportedly had a stakeholders meeting after the season, and the two parties mutually agreed to part ways.

Liam Lawson will take Sergio Perez's seat for the 2025 F1 season.