The former world champion has put Formula 1 back on a war footing following some incendiary remarks.

There are still weeks to wait  before the green lights go on at Melbourne’s Albert Park.  That’s where the 2025 Formula 1 campaign will get underway  , a season in which there are many and very attractive open fronts . The main one, without a doubt, is the world title  that four-time champion Max Verstappen will defend against a wide list of rivals . None of them have the track record and caliber of Lewis Hamilton, who is making his debut at Ferrari and will be the big centre of attention. The  most successful active driver and the largest and most demanding team to challenge the prodigy.

“Hamilton is very different, he is unique. He has broken the mould. He is the great image of Formula 1 and goes beyond” – Jacques Villeneuve

That battle is a real possibility and there are already those who have decided to heat it up despite the fact that there is still a lot of pre-season left.  This is the case of Jacques Villeneuve, who was world champion in 1997, is the son of the legendary Gilles and an opinionator who does not mince his words . The  Canadian attacks Verstappen to praise Hamilton and puts F1 on a war footing between its two most iconic drivers along with Fernando Alonso  on the current grid.

“Hamilton is very different, he is unique. He has broken the mould. He is the great image of Formula 1 and goes beyond that.  Nobody cares if Verstappen leaves F1,  Hamilton does care if he leaves the category. He is the biggest signing and for one of the biggest brands. The fact that the two of them are getting together is something incredible,”  Villeneuve  told The  Action Network . He has a radically different idea about the Briton, especially with his arrival at the most successful team of all time.

He cares little about Verstappen’s titles and a brutal dominance in which he has won  World Championships of all kinds : that of the  last lap  in Abu Dhabi against Hamilton himself, that of the  crushing dominance  in which only Sainz broke Red Bull’s hegemony and that of  knowing how to suffer  with the third or fourth best car on the grid as happened in the close quarter in Las Vegas.

“Nobody cares if Verstappen leaves F1, but Hamilton does care if he leaves the category” – Jacques Villeneuve

Villeneuve  ‘s assessment  ranges from an iconic point of view, but also reaches the sporting one. The Canadian forgets to mention Verstappen when analysing who are the favourites for the title and which driver will be champion. “ Lando Norris and McLaren are the favourites because of the way they fight for the title,” he says . Verstappen , it should be remembered, won at Interlagos and Qatar in the final stretch…  “Although McLaren will have to deal with the problems of having two leading drivers who will lose points and will not do well,” adds the  former champion .

Villeneuve  ‘s statements  are, as usual, incendiary and surprising.  But there is also another side of confidence that gives encouragement to the Spanish public. “Carlos Sainz could be the surprise with Williams,” he says without hesitation.  It should be remembered that he was the last world champion  with the Grove factory  in a legendary list of seven drivers’ and nine constructors’ crowns.  He won the controversial crown in 1997, where he caught Michael Schumacher in the last race, the German defended himself and ended up creating  a scandal that left the  Kaiser  disqualified from the World Championship.