F1 champion reveals Schumacher relationship strain

Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has opened up about how he never had a relationship with seven-time champion Michael Schumacher.

The Canadian joined F1 in 1996 with Williams, and was immediately competitive alongside team-mate Damon Hill, finishing second in his first race in Australia and winning his first Grand Prix in round four at the Nürburgring.

At the time, Schumacher had just joined Ferrari after winning his first two titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, but the German was beaten by both Williams the next year.

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Villeneuve: I never had a relationship with Schumacher

Villeneuve would finish second in the standings in his debut season, with team-mate Hill winning his only world title by 19 points, and the year later he would claim his first and only title in convincing fashion, beating Heinz Harald Frentzen by 39 points.

However, Frentzen actually finished third, with Schumacher supposed to finish second just three points behind Villeneuve, but he was disqualified from the world championship after he deliberately collided with the Canadian at the final race in Jerez.

While there would no doubt have been conflict between the two after the incident, Villeneuve – the son of legendary F1 driver Gilles – believes that his father created an ‘enmity’ between the two for the name he carried.

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Speaking with BetIdeas, the 52-year-old said: “We never had a relationship. I have had some great relationships in racing and made some very close friends, but I never had one with him. It is a shame because he is one of the greatest.

“I don’t know if we would have gotten along because we were very different personalities. It doesn’t mean we could not have. We just will never know.

“When I got into F1 he joined Ferrari. I was the next big thing without really deserving it, partly because of my Dad, who obviously had driven for Ferrari. I think there was some enmity there which didn’t help the relationship.

“Michael was not used to being beaten and was never being overtaken. It started when I overtook him on the outside at Estoril on the last corner the year before. That did not have a good effect on our relationship.”

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