F1: Villeneuve Downgrades Hamilton, Schumacher's Achievements, Senna Also Included

Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 Formula 1 Drivers’ champion, has been known for his outlandish comments when asked to discuss today’s drivers and past champions. The Canadian believes Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher only won multiple world titles because they were in the best cars on the grid.

Hamilton and Schumacher are considered among the greatest drivers F1 has ever witnessed as they have a combined 12 world titles between them, with the former the overwhelming favorite to make it 13 by winning the 2019 crown as well. The German dominated between 2000 and 2004, winning five of his seven titles with Ferrari.

Villeneuve believes have they not had the best cars they would not have won, which is quite an obvious statement to make, especially as Fernando Alonso proved it when he joined McLaren for a second time in 2015. The Spaniard, considered one of the best ever, struggled for three years on the wrong end of the grid with a car that lacked speed and reliability.

“These two drivers only won when they had the best car,” Villeneuve said, as quoted by the Daily Express. “They always had the best car in their entire career. If you put Lewis in a Williams now, he won’t win.”

“He’s super good and always makes the right decision about which team to join,” he added. “There he builds up a team around himself. That’s all. He might not have won in a Ferrari.”

However, both Hamilton and Schumacher did not join winning teams, it was their ability to build teams around them that saw them dominate the sport. A point Villeneuve acknowledged in his comments but was not willing to give them the full credit for.

It is not a secret that a number of people on the paddock thought Hamilton was taking a step back when he chose to leave the then front-running McLaren team for Mercedes, who were struggling as a midfield team. The British racer, however, was vindicated when Mercedes developed the best car and engine on the grid when the rules of the V6 Turbo era got underway leading him to four of his five titles thus far.

Villeneuve did not stop there, he also went on to shut down Gerhard Berger’s comparison of Hamilton to three-time world champion an all-time great Ayrton Senna. He believes you cannot compare two different eras of the sport, which is a fair comment but he also went on to say that Senna and Alain Prost won their titles because they had the best car on the grid.

That’s the stupidest comment,” Villeneuve said. “You could also say he’s the first on Fangios level. How do you compare that? It was a completely different time. Who knows?”

“And Senna is also a winner in the best car. [Alain] Prost, too. That’s just the way it goes.”