Villeneuve on "lack of respect" from Schumacher

Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve has insisted his former on-track rival Michael Schumacher had "a total lack of respect" for his rivals on the grid.

Villeneuve says that nowadays, Formula 1 drivers have "no respect" for the drivers sharing the track with them, and the Canadian believes that trend was started by the seven-time world champion.

"He had a total lack of respect for other drivers and what racing is all about," Villeneuve said to 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.

However, Villeneuve believes there is one driver on the current F1 grid that is an exception from his beliefs - five-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, who he has called "a gentleman".

"Lewis is great because so far he has done nothing that is beyond the boundaries," Villeneuve added. "That's the big difference - he's more of a gentleman on the track. A quick driver, but a clean one."