"They have built a bad car and that is their problem" - Mercedes' 'constant whining' over self-created porpoising woes should not punish other teams, says former F1 champion

Jacques Villeneuve suggested that Mercedes should stop complaining about porpoising and jeopardizing other teams by making it an issue. The Canadian blamed the German team for building an underperforming car and believes it should resolve porpoising on its own like other teams.

Writing in his latest column on Formule1, the Canadian champion said:

“They have always done everything they can to maintain their advantage in recent years. Now they have built a bad car and that is their problem, not the FIA’s. Other teams have also solved it, why should they be punished with a possible rule change?”

He continued:

“I think Mercedes has found something now, as if it was already ready. They bounced less and were fast, they certainly didn’t raise the ride height. But I don’t understand the constant whining. Racing is dangerous. Inhaling carbon from your brakes is also unhealthy, as is G-forces or drying out during a long, hot race. Nobody forces Mercedes to set up their car like this.”

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Jacques Villeneuve praises Mercedes champion Lewis Hamilton

The former Williams driver, who is usually quite critical of Hamilton, complimented him for driving a good race in Canada and being back to fighting in the top five of the grid. The Canadian questioned George Russell’s odd choice of slick tires in a damp qualifying session and praised the seven-time world champion’s ability to make the right decisions in both qualifying and race conditions in Canada.

Praising Hamilton in his column, Villeneuve wrote:

“A few weeks ago I was very critical of Lewis Hamilton so now I have to give him a compliment. The car was competitive and Lewis drove very strong. It’s important to him that he made it to the podium and that on Saturday he won the qualifying match after that strange gamble by George Russell.”

He went on to write:

“And Hamilton maximized the race, made the right decisions and also had the speed. It’s been a tough season and maybe this is the needed boost. Maybe he’s had his bad moments now and he’s back in fighting mode.”

It will be interesting to see if Lewis Hamilton can hold onto his strong form in the British GP as well.