'Total lack of respect': Michael Schumacher at centre of brutal swipe

Former Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve has lashed out at Michael Schumacher in a surprisingly frank interview.

Villeneuve and Schumacher battled over many years, famously colliding with each other in the decisive final round of the 1997 F1 season.

It was found after the race that Schumacher had caused the collision, handing that year’s championship to the French-Canadian.

Villeneuve evidently has a long memory, accusing Schumacher of having a “lack of respect” for his fellow drivers during the pair’s racing days.

The former champ believes Schumacher’s uncompromising style led to the rough-and-tumble habits of today’s F1 drivers.

“He had a total lack of respect for other drivers and what racing is all about,” Villeneuve said in an interview with Swedish newspaper Expressen.

“It started an era where everyone does the same. I look at Formula 2 and Formula 3 and it's strange that we don't have a couple of deaths every year.

“In F1 it's almost everyone too. They change lines and move when braking, things you should not see.”

Lewis Hamilton was the lone exception to Villeneuve’s ire, with the ‘97 champion describing the Englishman as “more of a gentleman” than his contemporaries.

Villeneuve also touched on the rise of Schumacher’s son Mick, who has been touted as a future F1 prospect.

Despite solid, if unspectacular form, the younger Schumacher has tested for Ferrari and Alfa Romeo, with rumours he could make the jump from Formula 2 as early as next year.

In a none-too-subtle warning to the aspiring star, Villeneuve detailed the difficulty in following a champion father’s footsteps.

Villeneuve’s father Gilles is an F1 legend, winning six races for Ferraro before he was killed in a crash at the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix.

“I came to F1 after winning the Indy 500 and the Indycar championship. But everyone wanted to see a continuation of my Dad’s career because he never won the World Champion title,” Villeneuve said.

“But I did not do it for his legacy, I did it because I loved the sport but then no one wanted to listen to me and they became angry. So I stopped talking about it.

“Some wrote that I hated my dad, but that’s not true.

“Mick has done well because he is surrounded by the right people.

“Right now they are using his name but if he is not super-fast they will burn him immediately. It has been discreet until now but that time is over.”