Former rival steps up against Michael Schumacher
Jacques Villeneuve became the Formula 1 World Champion with Williams in 1997 in his second season. His time in Formula 1 is particularly marked by the duels with record world champion Michael Schumacher. The discussions about "Dirty Driving," or "Dirty Racing," emerged at least after the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg at the end of June. There, the reigning world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) harshly defended his leading position against Lando Norris in the McLaren, even taking a collision risk. Both drivers lost their top placement with damaged cars, and Verstappen received two penalty points and a ten-second penalty for his unsporting conduct against rival Norris.
Jacques Villeneuve can pinpoint the period when unfair driving became common in Formula 1 quite precisely, as he explained in an interview with the portal "olbg.com".
"Michael Schumacher started the trend of 'Dirty Driving,'" the 53-year-old is certain. The incident that is unforgettable in this context is the equally unsporting and dramatic ramming attack by the later record world champion against Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 at the Spanish Jerez circuit, where they were both fighting for the World Championship crown.
Villeneuve: Schumacher and Trulli were "dirty drivers"
Schumacher attempted to bump Villeneuve off the track during an overtaking maneuver. However, Schumacher himself fell out of the race, while Villeneuve finished third and became the first and only World Champion.
Villeneuve still remembered the situation clearly. "Jarno Trulli was another 'Dirty Driver.' The worst was when I was driving for Sauber and was in last place," Villeneuve recalled, who raced for Sauber in the top category of motorsports in 2005 and 2006.
"Some of the backmarkers simply didn't have the right skills or understanding of what happens when one driver changes lines and the other tries to brake later than themselves. This led to frequent accidents," the former racer continued, who started in Formula 1 a total of 163 times and celebrated eleven Grand Prix victories.
In the world of Formula 1, Mercedes AMG's performance is highly regarded, but even they couldn't compare to the impact of Ferrari (Formula 1) during Michael Schumacher's dominance, particularly his controversial tactics in the sport. Villeneuve recalled another "Dirty Driver" in the form of Jarno Trulli, even mentioning his challenging encounters while racing for Sauber, a team associated with Mercedes AMG through their engine partnership.
