F1 champion received 'hate mail' after bad mouthing Ferrari

Leclerc, Hamilton, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

F1 champion received 'hate mail' after bad mouthing Ferrari

The champion is usually outspoken

Originally written by Sheona Mountford. This version is a translation.

Tuesday 23 December 2025 23:05

The comments of F1 pundit and champion Jacques Villeneuve has prompted 'hate mail' from Ferrari fans, according to the Canadian.

Villeneuve won the 1997 F1 world drivers' title, and in recent years has taken to the microphone as a pundit for Sky Sports F1's UK broadcast.

The likes of Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda have all found themselves on the receiving end of his harsh tongue, with the Canadian recently branding Hamilton's seven world titles as 'easy'.

Speaking to PokerScout, the champion refused to comment on Ferrari and cited the backlash he had received for previous comments.

"I don't want to comment on Ferrari really; I'll just get hate mail again," Villeneuve said.

"It’s easy to criticise Ferrari because they're in the limelight. So, you always see everything they do or don't do. That's not the case with other teams."

Is there any hope for Ferrari in 2026?

Article continues under video

Villeneuve believes, however, that not every driver or team will emerge successful next year, adding a dose of realism in regards to expectations for next year.

"Not every driver will be able to adapt to the 2026 regulations," he explained.

"The gaps in 2026 will be bigger. The strategies will be very different because they will have to use their battery and their movable wing and so on. So, there's a lot of things we'll discover.

"We don’t know what to expect. That’s the thing. It could be great, it could be off. Let’s hope it's great. It's a big change and it will be a big change in approach on how they race.

"Not every driver will adapt to it well, not every team will adapt to it well."

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Charles Leclerc Jacques Villeneuve