The 1997 F1 world champion has condemned the “embarrassing” booing of Lando Norris in direction of the tip of the 2025 season.
McLaren’s Norris was booed by some followers after back-to-back wins in Mexico Metropolis and Brazil.
It’s unclear why Norris was heckled, however some theories counsel that followers believed McLaren was favoring him over title rival and teammate Oscar Piastri.
Norris completed third within the remaining race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, clinching his first F1 world championship, whereas Piastri completed third, 13 factors behind his teammate.
Requested in regards to the boos Norris acquired, Villeneuve mentioned on the Excessive Efficiency podcast: “It’s kind of ridiculous. It was embarrassing when there have been boos in some races.”
“Be clear, do not do something soiled, be well mannered on the observe and do not boo tremendous quick drivers. What’s unsuitable with folks? That was embarrassing.
“If Piastri was a second a lap quicker than him and one way or the other Lando was successful as a result of all kinds of issues had been occurring and the automobile was breaking down each time, you would possibly begin considering, ‘Nicely, that is not likely cool. It isn’t honest.’
“However that wasn’t the case. And within the second half, Norris was quicker from the beginning, as he was final yr. So in the midst of the season, Piastri was driving a lot better than Norris and was successful factors. Norris had a blown engine, not Piastri, so the followers did not see that both.
“All through the season, you need to take a look at the large image and in case your favourite staff all of the sudden begins going backwards, you need to settle for that.
“That simply because the staff you are a fan of is not successful proper now doesn’t suggest the opposite one is handled higher or the opposite one is unfair. That is actually unsuitable.”
F1 drivers ‘should develop thick pores and skin’
Norris laughed off the incident and Villeneuve mentioned F1 drivers must develop a “thick pores and skin” to cope with such unfavourable feelings.
“That is the value we’ve got to pay now with social media and the way large F1 has turn into. F1 could be very passionate and individuals are passionate too,” Villeneuve added.
“Followers are born out of fanaticism. If you get into that mindset, you cease considering. It occurs to all of us. We get so hooked up to one thing that we’ve got a tough time seeing actuality, and we begin shaping actuality into our personal thought processes.”
“If the champion does not win, it is not his fault. It needs to be due to one thing exterior, the staff ruined his probabilities, and so forth. However there’s nothing concrete in these feedback.
“It is pure fandom and it is all the time been like this. In the end, there’s nothing unsuitable with that. You recognize drivers at that stage must develop a thick pores and skin. If you happen to do not, you do not should be there.”
“All of them actually recognize compliments, so you need to be thick-skinned. They recognize constructive compliments, however the unfavourable balances them out. And so they have to have the ability to settle for and embrace the unfavourable as effectively. It goes each methods.”
