Drivers undervalued? 'F1 cars never as easy to drive as they are now'
F1 News
- Ludo van Denderen
In today's Formula 1, there are few drivers who are as outspoken as the 1997 champion. Both then and now, Jacques Villeneuve says exactly what he thinks; sometimes to the annoyance of the people the Canadian is talking about. The Canadian also has an opinion on the current generation of F1 cars. According to him, they are easier than ever to drive. Does this underestimate the performance of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in recent years?
Villeneuve came to this conclusion in conversation with Instantcasino, when commenting on Fernando Alonso's career. The Spaniard is now 43 and still competing in F1. According to Villeneuve, the fact that Alonso can still compete against the best today is due to several things: "In the past, we were not as healthy as the drivers now and technologically or physically advanced. Also, racing is super safe now."
"If you’re still a racer at the age of 43, you’re either a great racer or you didn’t take enough risks in your career. I don’t think Alonso has ever been hurt, I’ve never been hurt and my car was nowhere near as safe as they are today. The modern F1 cars are the easiest they’ve ever been to drive," Villeneuve assesses.
'Team bosses don't want drivers with a bigger aura'
Incidentally, the Canadian understands when Aston Martin at some point tells Alonso that the time has come to make way for a younger driver; even if he is not (yet) as good as the Spaniard. On the one hand, Villeneuve thinks this is weird - after all, age is just a number - on the other, he understands: "Team principals and owners don’t want a driver with more aura overpowering them, they want to be the father of the team and situation, and to do that you need younger drivers than Alonso."
This article has been written in collaboration with Matt Gretton