Villeneuve defends Hamilton and Leclerc: 'It's Elkann who's done this'
Jacques Villeneuve has voiced some perplexity over John Elkann’s recent remarks about Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
“It was a bit shocking, but it seems to be the Ferrari way when you look at the past”- Jacques Villeneuve
The 1997 world champion, speaking to a betting site, noted a recurring trend in Ferrari’s relationships with its drivers over the years, with ties gradually deteriorating, especially with certain champions.
“We shouldn't be surprised because remember how it ended up with Prost, with Mansell, with Alonso, with Vettel. It seems to be a trend at Ferrari. Ferrari comes first. And Ferrari will always protect Ferrari.”
“I didn't see comments that were detrimental to the team coming from the drivers. So, it's the chairman who's done this, but this came just after winning the WEC. I guess he was pinpointing how amazing the team in WEC did, compared to F1. But it's a different ball game.
“It was a bit shocking, but it seems to be the Ferrari way when you look at the past. Most drivers have broken their teeth there, most drivers with personality. It's a strange environment.”
Villeneuve also added that Ferrari’s negative environment, coupled with years without wins, contributes to growing frustration among both management and drivers, but venting that frustration to the media only serves to amplify internal tensions within the team.
“I don't see how those comments can be helpful, not least in creating a positive mindset because they've always seemed to be quite united with their team. They both seemed to be using their social media channels to call for unity.
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“The energy at Ferrari is not great, which is not surprising. It’s been years of not winning. There were high hopes this year, so it's been a big letdown. Emotions run high. The problem is that when it gets out into the media, it gets dirty and that's never a nice thing. Then it gets bigger than it is and it can get out of control mostly with the fans and the media.
He finally added: “Hopefully that's where it will stop because we've seen what happened with Prost, Mansell, almost every driver with a personality that has been in Ferrari. It would be a shame, if it went that way again.”
'Serious irritations at Ferrari' exposed amid Elkann's scathing remarks
On The Pit Talk podcast, he commented on Elkann’s pointed remarks following the Brazilian GP weekend — a weekend where Ferrari celebrated both the WEC Constructors’ and Drivers’ titles, but also faced another double DNF in Formula 1 in Brazil.
Doornbos also turned his attention to Lewis Hamilton, reflecting on the Briton’s difficult season and warning that next year, with the upcoming regulation changes, the seven-time world champion will be risking a significant portion of his reputation.
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