Lewis Hamilton had some fun at a fellow former F1 champion’s expense (Image: Getty)
Lewis Hamilton is constantly the subject of opinions expressed by pundits, analysts and millions of fans worldwide. And in Montreal he took the opportunity to dish out a brutal verdict of his own, jumping at the opportunity to have a cheeky dig at Sky Sports F1 pundit Jacques Villeneuve.
It came about in the official FIA press conference, held on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix. As usual, the Montreal race will take place at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, situated on Notre Dame Island, a manmade piece of land in the St Laurence Seaway featuring the motor racing track which was named after one of Canada’s great racers following his untimely death in 1982.
He was just 32 years old and, although he did not win an F1 title, he was regarded as one of the greatest racers of his generation. His son, Jacques, went on to follow in his footsteps and did become a world champion, winning the 1997 title while driving for Williams.
Hamilton was asked in the press conference what he knew of the man after whom this weekend’s F1 venue is named, and took the opportunity to have some fun at Villeneuve Jnr’s expense. “I personally didn’t really know a lot about [Gilles], to be honest. I obviously knew about Niki [Lauda], more so because I got to spend a lot of time with him, and obviously, I had to learn and watch him when I was growing up,” he said.
Jacques Villeneuve was the subject of a cheeky dig taken by Lewis Hamilton in Montreal (Image: Getty)
“So, whilst reading up on some of the great drivers that have been here, all I really knew is that he was a great driver. He seemed to be, from some of the videos, a driver that really was at the edge of his seat, really being able to balance the car as it’s moving, which was pretty cool to see.” He then laughed as he added: “And ovbiously far better than his son.”
Hamilton may see it as a way to get back at Villeneuve who has been one of the seven-time world champion’s most vocal critics in recent years. Just last December, after a difficult first season with Ferrari for the Brit, Villeneuve took the oppotunity to attack Hamilton’s legacy, claiming that almost any driver could have won the titles that he did with Mercedes.
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
He said: “A lot of championships were won against a team-mate, and there was no real battle really. The one fight he did have was against Nico [Rosberg in 2016], and he lost. Now he goes to Ferrari and has to get back into fighting ways, and it looks like he got used to the easy years. It’s hard to get the diesel going again if you back off a bit, take it easy, or start thinking it’s easy. Once you start believing you’re untouchable, you slow down.
“His championships weren’t difficult to go and win. Mercedes was miles ahead once the new engine came in, and every time things got close, they just turned up the power. It was all there, ready in hand. At that point, only a Mercedes could have won – almost with any driver on the grid. Then the battle was against your teamed and then the question was what kind of team-mate did he have? That’s what you have to look at.”