Villeneuve criticises Stroll...again

Former Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has reignited his war of words with Lance Stroll, lambasting the Williams driver's lack of improvement over the season, after Villeneuve had previously called some of his GP performances 'pathetic', through his role as a racing pundit.

In the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday Stroll was poised to finish in 14th position but suffered a flat spot that caused his front left tyre to delaminate, forcing him into an extra pitstop. His team-mate, Felipe Massa, finished seventh and the points gained took him ahead of Stroll with one race to go in the F1 championship. Villeneuve wasn't exactly full of praise for his fellow countryman.

"It wasn't impressive," Villeneuve said to Autosport. "He was about to get lapped by his team-mate.

"Then he blew a tyre so at least he has an excuse. It's not a weekend to remember."

The 1997 world champion bemoaned a lack of improvement within the performances of the 19-year-old, but did offer up a solution to some better results - a new team-mate.

"You can't just look at the points, you have to look at the pace," he said.

"We haven't really seen an improvement. Something has to happen during the winter because he's been better than that in the other categories.

"He needs to figure something out. Maybe a new team-mate will be helpful. Have a slower team-mate. He needs to find a way to go faster."

These comments follow on from previous criticism from Villeneuve towards Stroll. During the summer he did not hold back when analysing his performances, despite the driver gaining his first points in Montreal and then a podium in Baku.

"I always said until Montreal that it was pathetic, and it was," Villeneuve stated.

"But I always said he won in everything he did with work, and the same thing would probably happen here, as long as they look at reality in the face.

"You have to admit when you are not good enough. That's all. So I don't know why people are getting so upset."