Villeneuve: F1 lacking 'grit' of previous eras

Villeneuve: F1 lacking 'grit' of previous eras

Martin Macdonald

Monday 24 December 2018 14:49

Former Formula 1 driver and world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes that the sport lacks the "grit" of previous eras, and thinks it is important that the right balance is reached between excitement and speed, and the safety of the drivers behind the wheel.

Villeneuve, the son of legendary driver Gilles Villeneuve who tragically died during a race in 1982, has pointed to his own era of racing in the nineties and noughties as a time when the drivers felt completely safe even though the cars were traveling at an extreme pace.

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“My era was better because there was still some grit. It was still human," the Canadian told Automobile Magazine.

"But it was safe enough that if you got in a car, you didn’t feel like you were going to kill yourself. It was a good in-between. And it was less politically correct, not like now when nobody says anything.

Villeneuve reckons that the drivers are moved about teams too strategically nowadays, and thinks there is currently a lack driving talent on the scene.

“And now most drivers are owned by teams, and the drivers get moved around like chess pieces. It’s more like a franchise, and I find that a little bit strange.

“And because of that, I think there is less talent out there. Established drivers are being moved aside for younger drivers.”

Villeneuve has one world championship to his name, which he claimed in 1997 with Williams Renault.

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