What is Jacques Villeneuve talking about?

Posted on

| Written by

Jacques Villeneuve has launched a surprising attack on Lewis Hamilton, comparing the Briton to Villeneuve’s former F1 nemesis Michael Schumacher.

Referring to Hamilton’s starts he said:

“When will these chopping moves stop? Lewis is not getting penalised for these things and his behaviour off the start line has started to look the way Michael Schumacher used to. So far, he has been lucky, so we’ll see if it carries on. He makes progressive moves that would have got some of the other drivers black-flagged.

I’d be the first to say that F1 is poorer for losing outspoken drivers like ’97 champ Villeneuve, but I think he’s well wide of the mark on this one.

Hamilton made excellent attacking starts in Melbourne and Sepang, picking up places when there didn’t seem to be any available. At Bahrain and Monte-Carlo he defended his position at the start but I never for once second thought there was anything unusual about his defence.

Schumacher famously was never penalised for a serier of start line ‘chops’ that riled his rivals like Villeneuve and David Coulthard. But when one driver does something and gets away with in, smart drivers realise it’s fair game and add the move to their arsenal.

That said, nothing Hamilton has done so far reminds me of Schumacher’s tactics in any way. He’s not pulled the kind of stunt Schumacher turned on brother Ralf at the start of the 2001 European race, for example.

Perhaps Villeneuve’s just sore that he doesn’t get to race in his home Grand Prix this year.

Related links

Tags: f1 / formula one / formula 1 / grand prix / motor sport

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

12 comments on “What is Jacques Villeneuve talking about?”

  1. Oh, ya gotta love him. Jacques certainly knows how to stay in the limelight, doesn’t he…? ;)

  2. vintage Jacques Villeneuve :-)

  3. He’s talking his usual bollocks.

  4. Massimo Valz Gris
    6th June 2007, 15:36

    J.V. has always been a j#*§k and will always be. By the way he raced for mere 2 seasons and and toured throughout the rest of his less than mediocre carrer.
    Nobody I guess is really missing him nor his big mouth.

  5. I miss Villeneuve, he was just starting to blossom again with BMW Sauber. That said, I agree that is off the mark with these comments. It’s not as if we have had any complaints from the Ferrari’s yet. And if anyone was going to start complaining it would be them.

  6. But I say, if you can’t say anything good, don’t say anything at all.

  7. Nikos Darzentas
    6th June 2007, 18:41

    the evil Schumacher again! nothing wrong with Hamilton’s driving btw, on the contrary…

  8. Hamilton’s starting procedure is fine, and not as bad as Michael Schumacher’s (which, I thought was just this side of OK, sometimes teetering over the edge). Jacques Villnueve should stick to critiquing stuff he knows about – for instance, he did all right in the F1 Racing season preview – but this time he’s not really got cause to complain.

  9. Jacques can talk when he’s not struggling to get into NASCAR.

  10. Nathan Jones
    7th June 2007, 9:23

    Jacques has a short memory!
    Suzuka ’97 start anyone?

  11. Well… Jacques is craving for the attention again. That’s what I’ve noticed. If you noticed, he was much more reserved when he was with Williams, but as he slipped away from the front of the grid, his mouth started to open more.

    What more that he isn’t in the sport anymore? Again, if you can’t say anything good, don’t say anything at all.

  12. maybe Jacques sees something we dont, i soppose he knows more about racing then we do, and though he is out spoken i’ve always thought his oppinions were honest

Comments are closed.