Jacques Villeneuve defends Red Bull team orders call at F1 Azerbaijan GP

Jacques Villeneuve has defended Red Bull's decision not to heed team orders during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. With Max Verstappen and his teammate Isack Hadjar locked in a tight battle for second place, the Milton Keynes-based team decided to let Hadjar retain his faster tyre. While Hadjar was on a better tyre, he did not have a significant lap time advantage over Verstappen.

By avoiding a swap, Verstappen was able to build a sizable eight-second lead in the closing laps, ultimately securing second place by just 0.196 seconds behind Mercedes' George Russell. Hadjar finished third. Villeneuve praised Red Bull's strategic call, stating, "It was perfect. There was no reason to ask Max to let Isack by." Team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed that the team had thoroughly considered its options but ultimately decided to maintain the race positions.

Mekies noted that both drivers had displayed discipline in adhering to the team's strategy. The Canadian also commended Isack for his clever driving, which contributed to the team's overall performance.