'Hamilton and Verstappen both worth it, but from different angles'
F1 News
The two most dominant drivers in F1's last decade, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, and worth every penny to teams according to Jacques Villeneuve. The Canadian believes the two stand above the rest in different ways, but both are clearly successful.
Over the previous 10 seasons, only once did Verstappen or Hamilton not win the drivers' championship in Formula 1, when Nico Rosberg was crowned in 2016. When asked about Verstappen potentially earning more than the seven-time world champion, Villeneuve believes it is wiser to invest in Hamilton given the return, although both drivers clearly worth it.
"Well, Lewis brings more value. More money value. But his international image goes beyond Formula One and racing. He’s known in circles that have nothing to do with racing," he began to a betting site.
While Villeneuve previously declared 'nobody would care' if Verstappen chose to leave the competition compared to the Briton doing the same, he underlined that the Dutchman also gets it done financially. "Max is a pure racer and he brings wins and the victories to the team which ultimately has been bringing money to the team as well, so he’s definitely worth it. But it’s not as linked to the image and the value brought in from outside of racing. It’s from two different angles, basically."
Villeneuve not jealous of these paychecks
As a Formula 1 world champion himself, the Canadian is not bothered by the money the current superstars earn in the competition. He also sees that not only Hamilton and Verstappen deserve what they get, but their cut is worse than what he got back in the late 1990s.
"I’ve won one championship so no I’m definitely not envious of both Lewis and Max making so much money. They’ve worked hard at it. I believe we are in an era where F1 is worth ten times more than what it was worth so if you compare it to that, compared to what Michael and I made in the 90s, they are actually not paid a lot."
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