Michael Schumacher was renowned for his utmost professionalism in the cockpit of an F1 car, but former rival Jacques Villeneuve always felt like the seven-time world champion raced him differently from his other rivals.
The 1990s can be categorised by Michael Schumacher’s status as the man to beat, and his fierce rivalries with anyone who threatened his title as the best driver on the grid.
While the German legend only won two of his seven F1 titles during the final decade of the old millennium, he was still a championship contender in the majority of the seasons he competed in, often staking his claim for the top step of the podium on any given Sunday.
Jacques Villeneuve explains why his relationship with Michael Schumacher was always ‘odd’
During an appearance on F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast, 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuvetouched upon his relationship with the seven-time world champion during their time together as rivals.
After being asked how well he got on with Schumacher, the Canadian replied, “We never rubbed along. It’s an odd one because we never actually socialised in all the years I was in F1, and he was my main competitor. So that’s really a strange one.”
Then asked if their cold relationship was a result of the intense rivalry they shared, Villeneuve replied, “I’m not sure. Maybe because the Villeneuve name was still linked to Ferrari as well, maybe that had an effec