Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 F1 world champion, has weighed in on Formula 1’s greatest of all time debate. Lewis Hamilton is statistically the most successful driver ever.
Critics, however, attempt to discredit some of Hamilton’s achievements by pointing out that Mercedes had a commanding advantage during his peak. He won six titles in seven years with the Silver Arrows.
Hamilton beat Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in 2014 and ’15, then saw off Sebastian Vettel in 2017 and ’18. He romped to the 2019 and ’20 crowns against Rosberg’s replacement, Valtteri Bottas.
Villeneuve is well-placed to comment on the debate given his own credentials and the competition he’s faced. He’s gone up against three world champions in Damon Hill, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, and also fought Michael Schumacher for the title.
Lewis Hamilton’s ‘risk-taking’ doesn’t compare to previous F1 eras, Jacques Villeneuve says
Speaking to Canal+, Villeneuve joked that neither Hamilton nor Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had ever said ‘thank you’ for his contribution to the team’s success. The Canadian drove for forerunners BAR between 1999 and 2003.
Turning to Hamilton’s place in history, he accepted that the 40-year-old had left the ‘biggest mark’ of any driver. His recent move to Ferrari highlighted his status as the most famous, most marketable name who’s ever raced in F1.
However, Villeneuve stopped short of calling him the greatest driver ever. He doesn’t understand how one can compare contenders from different eras.
The ‘risk-taking’ was completely different in the early years of the world championship, he says. Juan Manuel Fangio won five world titles in the 1950s, a record only Schumacher and Hamilton have beaten.
“He never said thank you!” Villeneuve said of Hamilton. “He’s never said thank you for building my team, and neither has Toto Wolff.
“He’s the one who’s made the biggest mark on history. It’s hard to say who’s the greatest, because how can you compare a driver of the 2000s, 2020s to a driver of the 50s, 60s, to a Fangio?
“The eras are too different. The risk-taking is too different.”
Fernando Alonso repeats his Lewis Hamilton praise in glowing Max Verstappen endorsement
Hamilton has now entered the final phase of his F1 career. Fernando Alonso is five years older than his former teammate, but the Spaniard is surely an outlier.
Hamilton’s Ferrari contract runs for two years and potentially contains the option for a third. His goal in that period is simple – become the first driver ever to win an eighth world championship.
When he decides to retire, Oliver Bearman could be Ferrari’s next signing. Currently racing for Haas, the teenager is part of their driver academy.
Speaking before the Bahrain Grand Prix, Alonso said Max Verstappen’s titles were harder-fought than Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel’s crowns. But this prompted fans to dig up remarks from 2011 where he called the Englishman ‘the only driver capable of winning races in a car which is not the best’.
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