Villeneuve: Hamilton better than Schumacher "by miles"

Never one to shy away from a strong opinion, 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes that Lewis Hamilton is a better driver than Michaels Schumacher "by miles". Schumacher's former foe raced head-to-head with the seven-time champion but says that Hamilton is superior.

Ahead of what may be his coronation in Austin, Texas, Villeneuve explained why he thought Hamilton is the better of the two, citing his ability in the car and his conduct.

"I would rate Lewis above Michael, by miles," Villeneuve told Reuters.

"The Mercedes era will be difficult to stop with these rules. There’s been too many negative stories. Too many question marks on how some races or championships were won. And being a great champion is more than just winning races.

“There’s very little negativity. You can like or not the way he is in life but there’s nothing nasty or negative with it. There’s nothing nasty towards his opponents. There’s respect towards his opponents.

"There’s no question mark on ‘Is he cheating or not? Has he been dirty?’. That makes a big difference. And that’s how every champion should be. He shouldn’t just be neutral."

The Canadian also added that Hamilton's move to Mercedes from a McLaren team that had supported his career from a very early age was a brave decision and one that has only served to strengthen his claim as one of the best in the sport's history.

“He was protected at McLaren and he left. That was impressive. And he builds the team around him. And he’s better now than he was then. This year he’s been driving superbly."

Hamilton will take his fifth world title at the US Grand Prix if he outscores championship rival Sebastian Vettel by eight points or more.