Formula One news

Villeneuve: Schumacher is a liar

Jacques Villeneuve believes Schumacher has been lying to his fans and fellow drivers. The 1997 F1 World Champion said in an interview to be published next week in F1 Racing magazine that Schumacher will be easily forgotten, as he hasn't got a true personality.

"I think the problem is that you don't ever see his true personality," he said. "He's a racer - but a pure racer, nothing but a racer and, because of that, I think the day he hangs up his helmet people will just forget him. Senna, by contrast, will never be forgotten. Some of that is the James Dean factor, of course, because he was killed in action at a young age, but not all of it. I don't even think Michael will live on in people's memories as strong or as long as Prost has - certainly not as strong or as long as Mansell has. Those people attained a hero status that Michael never has and never will." 

Villeneuve believes Schumacher showed his true character during qualifying in Monaco earlier this season when he blocked the track at the end of the qualifying session preventing Alonso and Raikkonen to improve their qualifying lap times. "Michael simply isn't a great champion because he's played too many dirty tricks and because he isn't a great human being," said Villeneuve. "Yes, Senna played dirty tricks too but he did it with more class, more integrity. When he took Prost out at Suzuka in 1990, he said he was going to do it before the race."

"So, unlike Michael, who ridiculously insisted he was innocent at Monaco this year, Senna said, 'Yes, I did it. But I told you before the race that I was going to do it.' That's very different from what Michael did at Monaco and Jerez [in 1997] and Adelaide [in 1994 where he collided controversially with Damon Hill]. Senna wasn't lying to the fans. Michael was. And the sad thing is that, of course, the fans accept it - they swear black is white, in fact - just so that they can go on respecting the sport they love. And Michael takes advantage of that loyalty."

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